Broken
by Hallow Sisters On My Mind
Summary: Esmerelda has lost her powers and this leads to things at home becoming dark for her quite quickly. Rated M for Content. Worst Witch 2017, Series 2.
1. Chapter 1 - Looking For A Solution

A/N: This is a new story but it is dark, no warnings in this chapter but just so you are aware.

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Broken

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Chapter One

 **Looking For A Solution**

It was early afternoon and Esmerelda Hallow was in her bedroom sitting with her legs up on her bed as she looked through the books she had taken from the library that morning, looking in desperation for anything that could help her.

Despite a new term at Cackle's Academy school had just started, Esmerelda had not returned to school, when she gave her powers away last year in place of her sister, Ethel, to who she thought was her headmistress Ada Cackle, but turned out to be her evil twin sister, Agatha Cackle, Esmie had not gotten her powers back. She had not given up though, there must be a way for her to get her powers back and she was going to find it.

Esmerelda was not even that desperate to get her powers back because she found she couldn't live without them, true she really wanted them back and she really did miss being a witch, but if she was honest with herself she wanted them back more for the reason she wanted to be able to escape from home.

People assumed things when they saw Esmerelda and her sisters. "Oh they are rich, they have everything they must be happy" was the most common thing Esmerelda heard people say but home life was anything but fun for the girls. Their parents could only be described as ..cold. They didn't ever hug or kiss their children and they put pressure on them to be perfect, especially Esmerelda. Mr and Mrs Hallow also compared their children on everything, not just to each other but to other people's children and they put their children on pedestals. To Mr and Mrs Hallow, their children were like toys that they could manipulate into doing what they wanted.

When Esmerelda had had her powers, as the eldest it had being never ending for her. Her parents would enter her in stupid competitions, want her to study at silly hours and spoke to her about the family business as if she was supposed to care about it, Esmerelda was their golden child that they bragged and showed off, entering her in everything they could possibly find, needing to show the world she was perfect and much better than their children. A normal teenage life was out of the question for Esmerelda, her parents had made sure of that.

When her parents found out Esmerelda was no longer a witch their reaction was shame. To them, Esmerelda had brought shame and embarrassment to the whole family name and they were not going to let her forget it, since they had found out, they had been treating the eldest like she had some disease and was contaminated, they didn't even care that she had done it selflessly.

And so Esmerelda was now home without her sisters, the large house was two quiet and she was not used to quiet. Before her sisters started at Cackles she still experienced a lot of noise at school and at home things were not quiet with Ethel, who liked to talk loudly, and Sybil who somehow managed to make more noise than the three of them put together.

That is why Esmerelda was flipping through pages of the books looking for a way to get her powers back. She wanted to go back to school so she did not have to see her parents glaring at her everytime they saw her and so she did not have to be in a quiet house by herself which is why she had gotten all the books she could find out of her local library to find something of use but they all said the same thing, they all told her how a witch could come to lose her powers but not how to get them back.

Esmerelda looked through four books hoping somewhere there was a secret remedy to getting her powers back, but she still found nothing. Frustrated, the girl slammed the book shut disappointed, books had never let her down before until now.

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"Esmie" the blonde suddenly heard someone say, she jumped up and saw Ethel looking at her from the large mirror in her bedroom and smiled as she saw her.

"Hey Ethie" Esmerelda said sitting down in a chair she kept by the mirror to talk to her sister.

"How are things?" Ethel asked quite already basically knowing the answer to the question.

Esmerelda shrugged before she replied "Alright, I got some more books out of the library to find out any ways to get my powers back, still nothing though" Esmerelda told the younger blonde. Ethel nodded before replying.

"I am still researching too, I am sure we will find something" Ethel told her sister with a sigh feeling really guilty as after all she was the one who had tricked her sister into giving up her powers. Esmerelda fell silent for a moment biting her lip, until she started to speak again.

"How is Sybs?" Esmie asked asking over her younger sister. She had not spoke to her since school had started two days ago as she wanted her to settle a little bit first as she knew how scared she was, she didn't want the girl crying because she was scared.

"A bit better today, them two girls she became friends with seemed to have helped her with her confidence" Ethel replied reassuring Esmie that their younger sister was fine.

"I am very glad to hear it" Esmerelda replied as she had been really worried about Sybil settling in and making friends but apparently she had made friends with two girls called Beatrice and Clarice already so she had nothing to worry about.

Ethel smiled at her sister before she looked upwards at the clock in the mirror room and then looked at her sister.

"I have to go, I have Hardbroom next but I just wanted to make sure you are okay" Ethel told Esmie feeling bad for having to leave so soon.

"Thank you Ethie, give Sybil my love and try stay out of trouble" Esmerelda replied knowing her sister was a magnet for trouble,especially when it came to Mildred Hubble.

"I will try to, see you later" Ethel told her as she waved to Esmerelda.

"Bye Ethie" Esmerelda said as Ethel ended the call and Esmerelda stood up sighing to herself as she was once again left alone, she walked back to her bed and sat on it again trying to think of something to do.

That was when a book caught her attention, she had not read this one yet but it looked promising she picked it up and placed it on her knees to read when there was a sudden knock on her bedroom door.

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Esmerelda lifted her head curiously as she heard this knock, no-one except her sisters ever knocked on her door but then she remembered it was a Wednesday and it was the day the servants took the washing baskets away, the servants would never dare to enter without permission because if they did they would get into serious trouble.

"Yes come in" The blonde replied without looking up as she was flicking through the pages of the book she had missed, because of this she did not even look up at who entered her bedroom, if they wanted something they would speak.

"Esmerelda" a male voice said and Esmie shot her head up narrowing her eyebrows as she saw both her mother and her father in her room.

To many people seeing their parents enter their bedroom would not even cause them to react but it was the fact this was so unusual that made Esmerelda look at her mother and father with a deep look of confusion.

Mr and Mrs Hallow never really went in to any of their girls rooms because they were never really down the corridor the girls rooms were in, if they wanted to talk to their girls they would call them downstairs, in fact thinking about it the last time Esmerelda recalled her mother or father entering her room was a couple of years ago when they had to tell her a change in a competition she was entered for that she had to leave for in a few minutes so they did not have time to wait for her to come down. Even then though it had only being her mother who entered her room, she could not remember the last time her father was in here and certainly not together.

She started to wonder why they were in there, but the real reason they had entered her room that afternoon would be something that never would have crossed her mind...


	2. Chapter 2 - The Worst Punishment

A/N: This chapter is rated M for rape, if that upsets you do not read! Thank you to the stargate time traveler for the help on this chapter. I do not own the Worst Witch or the characters.

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Chapter Two

 **The Worse Punishment**

"Good afternoon father" Esmerelda replied politely, hoping they had not come in here to yell at her for her stupidity some more.

Her mother went and stood by the side of her bed without saying anything and her father went and sat by her on the bed smiling at her ...which only creeped her out...it was not often he smiled at her...unless he had gotten a lot of money.

"I just wanted to talk to you" he told the girl as he placed a hand on his daughter's knee and Esmerelda tried not to think to much into it, maybe he finally was going to support her about her missing powers.

"Okay...what about?" Esmerelda asked her father hoping he did not want her to go over how she lost her powers again.

"I just wanted to say, you are a good person for giving up your powers for your little sister" he told his daughter making the blonde confused. Was he on some sort of medication or something? Why was he acting so nice, it was scaring her.

"Erm...thank you..." Esmerelda said not knowing what else to say in response to him.

"But you are also incredibly foolish" he told her and Esmerelda sighed, she knew he was not going to be all nice to her.

"Well I thought it was Ada" Esmerelda said as she closed the book she was reading and put it on her bed covers to talk to him.

"Even so, losing your powers means you put yourself in danger of getting hurt" her father told her and if Esmerelda had been confused before now she was just utterly clueless.

"Not really...I mean million upon millions of people don't have powers..and anyway you can hurt someone with magic if you really wanted to" Esmerelda replied not understanding her fathers logic. Magic were if anything capable of causing much worse damage, Her father suddenly stood up and paced the room a few times as if he was thinking about something and then he turned around his eyes full of anger.

"How do you plan to repay me for making my family a laughing stock?" he asked her as if giving her a chance to explain herself.

The blonde was clueless again, she was so confused about what he meant but tried to reply. "Erm tell everyone who is laughing at us that I am a idiot?" she suggested not sure what else she could do.

"Not good enough, we have people leaving their jobs everyday because of the shame you put on us, they think we are all going to do something stupid like you did and don't want to get stuck in a job with two powerless bosses" he told his daughter with a glare.

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"I am sorry I.." Esmerelda started to say but he lifted a hand and she stopped speaking knowing better than to try speak over her parents. Her father fell silent again then and he looked at her for a few moments before replying.

"I can think of only one way to show you how stupid you are" he told her and Esmie opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly felt a spell hit her. The spell made it so the girl was more or less glued to her bed, she couldn't move her arms, she couldn't move her legs or even her head. The only thing she could move was her eyes and her mouth. It was like she had suddenly become paralysed.

"What is this, I can't move!" Esmerelda complained not seeing how this proved anything. If he had used this spell on her when she had powers she would have not being able to break the spell if she couldn't move her hands anyway.

"Shut up!" her father said. He hated when his children made noise or complained. Esmerelda looked at the ceiling and felt silent.

"We can't marry you into a rich well respected family now, I mean no-one wants a non-witch for a wife" her father told his daughter. Esmerelda was about to point out she hated all the people they wanted her to marry anyway but thought she best not. She made no response to that just looked at her ceiling.

She suddenly felt cool air on her skin as another spell was shot at her and she suddenly realised he had just vanished her clothes. She closed her eyes then hoping he would leave her alone once he had embarrassed her enough by gawping at her naked, but before she had time to even react to this the air was pressed out of her as she felt him sit on her stomach, she couldn't lift her head but she could tell he was on top of her as she could feel him. He touched her inner thigh and she shook at his touch, this was not right and she wanted to fight him off but she couldn't move a muscle and he laughed as he saw her shudder and her struggle to move as if it amused him his child struggling.

He suddenly removed his hand of her and stood up and the girl let out a breathe she had not known she had been holding but then she heard a sound that made her heart stop and her breathe hitch, it was the sound of a zipper being pulled down and that was the first moment she realised he was not just going to leave, not until he had done what he came to do first. When she heard that sound she tried with all her might to move even a inch, if she did so she might be able to alert one of the many servants in the mansion but she just could not move, when she realised there was no use in trying she started to scream hoping someone would hear her, she didn't even care if the whole mansion saw her naked, she just needed someone to stop him as she realised what his intentions were. That was when she remembered her mother was there and she moved her eyes to look at her hoping she would do something.

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"Mum" the girl said in a pleading way hoping she would do something to get her husband to stop, she might not be able to see him but she now knew exactly what his intentions were and she had never felt so terrified as she realised she was about to be raped.

"Will you be quiet?" the woman told her harshly and Esmerelda knew then she was not going to stop him, her fear intensified when she felt him sitting on her stomach again, her whole body shook as she felt him prying her legs apart realising she could not do anything to stop him.

"Please don't" the girl told him as tears fell down her face as she pleaded with him. "I am your daughter" she told him hoping he would realise that and decide against it but he did not make any attempt to stop and the girl started to whimper as she felt something near her rear entrance praying that someone would walk in. She started to scream again then knowing what was about to happen but her screaming became muffled when her mother covered her mouth with her hand.

She looked at the ceiling just hoping this was a sick joke to scare her and he was not going to actually go that far, her parents could be extreme after all and she was sure there was nowhere in the code which justified rape if someone selflessly gives up their powers. Maybe he was going to jump up in a minute and tell her he was punishing her by terrifying her into thinking he was going to do it but he was not going to do anything. She wished and hoped with all her mind that was going to happen as she stared at the ceiling, her screams still muffled.

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But then she suddenly felt such a intense pain in her lower region and she realised he had just shoved himself inside her. At that moment she screamed so loud not even her mother covering her mouth with her hand could muffle her screams.

Despite being nearly fifteen this was not something common for the young blonde. Her parents were strict about boys, but even so if the girl was so desperate to get involved with a boy she could have found a way to, her parents were not ever at home anyway, but Esmerelda did not want to be one of them teenagers who just slept with a random boy to tell everyone she was not a virgin and to appear cool. She wanted to date someone for a while before doing anything like that but she was so focused on her work and her sisters she didn't have time for a boyfriend. Now she was not going to get the choice of who she waited for.

The pain was the worse thing she had ever felt as the penis ripped through her virginity, tearing her flesh in the process and not giving any time for her to adjust to the size or the new feeling that came with sex, her father pulled back and shoved in again going deeper causing her screams to intensify as pain raged through her body.

Being the age she was and despite Cackles being a all girls school, the girl had classmates who had boyfriends outside of school, it was a topic of discussion in her class about how pleasurable it was to have sex but as he shoved in and out the pain did not stop, it did not get better or pleasurable, it was pure agony.

She did not know how long it lasted as he thrusted into her but it felt like hours. Esmerelda screamed and cried so much she was struggling to catch her breathe just wanting it to end or at least for the spell to wear of so she could try fight him off. Eventually she felt him climax in her and he pulled out of her.

The girl still could not move because of the spell trapping her body but as she cried her father threw the covers of her bed over her as if he was worried about his daughters dignity. She cried trying to catch her breathe but struggling more each time she sobbed. Suddenly feeling came back to her body as her father reversed the spell and she could move again and then she heard her door slam shut as her father and mother left the room without a word to her.

As she heard the door close the girl stopped crying and lay there in complete and utter shock. Never in a million years would she have expected things to take this turn and the girl lost track of how long she lay there, naked under the covers completely still with a wide eyed look of fear and shock on her face, trying to get her head around what had just happened.


	3. Chapter 3 - Reality Kicks In

A/N: Thanks for the feedback so far.

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Chapter Three

 **Reality Kicks In**

Esmerelda stayed lying on her bed when there was a sudden knock on her door. The girl jumped terrified it was her father again and pulled the covers further up herself until she managed to find her voice.

"W...Who...is it?" she asked preparing herself to block the door if her father answered.

"Just me" one of the female servants replied. Esmerelda let out a breathe and told her to come in but still didn't move.

"Your parents request your presence at dinner" the servant named Elena said.

Esmerelda was in quite a lot of pain and not only that right now she did not want to eat, it was the last thing she wanted to do so she told Elena.

"Can you tell them I am not feeling well?" Esmerelda replied wanting to get out of it but Elena sighed.

"Sorry, they have the Moonlights coming over so you have to go" Elena told the girl sadly and Esmerelda sighed knowing she had no choice, angering her parents more was not a good idea.

"Alright...just give me a while to get ready" Esmerelda replied as Elena nodded and left and Esmerelda finally pulled the covers off to get up of the bed, her entire lower section throbbing in pain. She tried to ignore this as she walked to her bathroom to get ready.

She did not want to look to much at her rear entrance but she did realise she was bleeding from her assault so she quickly cleaned up as best as she could and then got dressed trying to ignore the pain she was in. It was only as she was leaving her bedroom she realised it was pretty obvious she was limping so she tried to walk more straight not wanting the guests to ask questions.

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As she arrived downstairs she was grateful she would be allowed to sit down so it would not be to obvious she was limping, she walked in the dining room and saw her parents already sitting with their guests, as she entered her father turned to her. She had not seen him since the attack and now she was finding breathing difficult as he looked at her.

"Ahh Esmie, we saved you a seat" her father said tapping the seat next to him with a smirk.

Esmerelda seriously considered bolting then. She did not think she could sit next to her father after what he had just done to her but two things stopped her. The first was the entire table was looking at her and the second was she physically knew she could not run, she could barely walk after all. If she ran she would end up falling and be dragged to the table anyway.

The girl walked around the table and sat down next to him without a word sneaking at glance at her mother as she did so who was exchanging conversation with Mrs Moonlight about business and Esmerelda sighed as she picked up her knife and fork and started to cut the chicken on her plate knowing she would have to force the food down and trying not to think about the fact her father was sat so close to her, she could feel herself shudder.

"I always say you know, if it is a choice between death or losing you magic choose death, there is no point to life without powers" Mr Moonlight started to say.

"Yes, I thought she was supposed to be smart" Mrs Moonlight replied with a laugh at the blonde.

"Esmerelda is smart but she never thinks before she acts, don't worry we have already told her how stupid she is, she has being punished" Mrs Hallow told her guests so causally as if she was talking about her daughter getting her books taken away and not raped by her own father. Esmerelda did not understand how they could be so casual about it like nothing happened but she ate her chicken in silence without replying.

"I hope it was a severe punishment" Mrs Moonlight told the Hallows a funny glint in her eyes.

"Oh yes" Mr Hallow replied. Esmerelda had being trying her best to act normal as she ate but at that moment her father placed his hand on her knee and she totally froze, there was no way the guests would see from where they were sitting. "We have made sure she has learned her lesson" her father replied moving his hand higher and placing it on her thigh. Esmerelda knew better than to alert anyone as to what was happening though.

Esmerelda spent the entire dinner on edge, nervous and fidgety, and she only spoke twice when their guests asked her why she was so stupid but the rest of the dinner consisted of Mr and Mrs Moonlight as well as the blonde's parents insulting her as if she was not just sat there listening.

"If my child gave their powers up I would throw them on the street, you are to good to your daughter for allowing her to stay living here" Mr Moonlight said to Mr Hallow with a laugh.

"Yes well our other girls convinced us to keep her" Mr Hallow replied as he rubbed Esmerelda's leg under the table and the girl completely gave up on attempting to eat as vile rose to her throat and she had to swallow it back.

"Hey you could keep her as a maid" Mrs Moonlight suggested as if that was a great solution to the problem.

"No because them we have to pay her" Mrs Hallow replied as the four adults laughed and Esmerelda sat there trying her best not to throw up which was proving difficult as vile kept rising to her throat as her father continued to touch her under the table.

The rest of the dinner went on like that. Esmerelda being insulted and being touched under the table, she did try once or twice to push his hand away but her father would then proceed to grab her wrist so tightly she knew there would be bruises.

The thing was her father loved to torture her, Esmerelda told herself. Her father despite touching her leg never did anything more than that. He would never go higher than her thigh but he seemed to know, and enjoy the fact she was being tormented because he would stroke her leg slowly and sometimes pretend he was going to go higher before he would lower his hand to her knee knowing exactly what he was doing to her as the girl shook continuously, he loved to be in control.

After dinner finished her father grabbed her wrist and took her aside the girl trying to resist from throwing up on him.

"Don't you dare utter a word to anyone, if you do you will be taken into care and they never keep siblings together so they will split you up and it will be your fault the family splits up" he told her talking close to her face as he held her against the wall as if he could sense the girl was thinking of going to mirror her sisters and tell them to tell Miss Cackle. He was so close she could feel his breathe on her face and she whimpered.

"And I can make it so much worse for you if you anger me, do you understand?" he asked his daughter who shook as she nodded her eyes filled with tears as he got so close to her. He seemed satisfied with her answer then and let go of her.

"You may go but one word to anyone and you will be sorry" he told her. Esmerelda nodded numbly in response and walked away as fast as she could with her limping, when she reached the stairs she took them slowly.

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When she finally reached the landing that led to her bedroom she felt vile rise to her throat again but this time she knew she was about to throw up and she rushed into her bathroom and throw up in the toilet aggressively, sick to her stomach at what had happened at dinner.

After she had being sick she grabbed some toilet tissue and wiped her mouth before limping back to her bedroom and she threw her covers of her bed back to collapse into it wanting to do nothing more than lie down. As she threw her duvet back to get on her bed she realised her bedsheets had quite a large amount of blood on them and as she stood staring at her bedsheet that was when it really hit her just like she had being struck by lightening.

She had been raped by her own father only because she had made a mistake, a selfless mistake at that. It wasn't a nightmare or anything it was actually real and from the way he had made it sound he was not over with her yet. As the reality hit her she finally gave in and let her legs give way, no longer able to support herself from the pain she was in. She fell on her bed and started to sob, more than she had ever sobbed in her life. The saying sobbing your heart out was accurate for her at that moment as she sobbed like a baby on he bed covering her face with her pillow as she sobbed into it at what he had done to her.

She was experiencing so many emotions, anger at herself for being so stupid. Hurt and sadness at what had happened to her but most of all fear. She was terrified and had no idea what she should do as she was essentially trapped.

She cried and cried and cried. She only stopped herself when she heard voices in her room that were the familiar voices of her sisters. The mirror was facing away from her so even though she couldn't see them she knew they were mirroring her. She covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her sobs not wanting them to hear her sobbing like this because anywise they would ask questions.

"Esmie?" She heard Sybil say sounding worried as her sister didn't answer her. Ethel and Sybil seemed to be arguing as usual but after a few minutes Ethel sighed.

"She is obviously out, let's try again tomorrow" Ethel said as she ended the call. With her sisters gone and her room all quiet again, Esmerelda waited for a few seconds to make sure they really had gone before she sobbed again.

The girl did not stop crying until she cried herself to sleep, tears still on her face as she slept but her sleeping was not peaceful at all. She woke up ten times after once again having a nightmare of her attack and she wondered if she will ever sleep again without that thought in her head. She felt broken in that moment, she could not get it out of her head and cried until her throat was raw.


	4. Chapter 4 - Things Grow Worst

A/N: This chapter has mentions of rape! Please be aware! I do not own The Worst Witch or the characters.

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Chapter Four

 **Things Grow Worst**

The night after the dinner with her parents,Esmerelda once again was unable to sleep for longer than a few minutes, but she was so tired she managed to fall asleep in the early hours of the morning but woke with a start when she felt a chill as if someone had opened a window. She opened her eyes and as her vision came into focus she realised her parents were in her room again, the girl was not sure if this was a dream but when she saw them something came to her.

Now that she knew what was going to happen she could not let him do it again, the girl told herself. That is why Esmerelda this time was not going to be caught of guard and she jumped up and out of her bed running towards her door, not sure if this was real but not willing to stick around to find out.

The pain the girl was experiencing had numbed a little bit over the last night. A little bit being the right words. She still was limping, but at that moment she dealt with the pain and ran out her bedroom door and down the stairs still in her pyjamas. Luckily for her the mansion was so big she had plenty of places to hide. She ended up in the kitchen and hid under the dining table, cursing herself then for not being tiny like Sybil anymore so she could not hide as well as the youngster.

"Miss Hallow what are you doing under there?" one of the chefs asked. Esmerelda jumped out of her skin as he spoke to her but put a finger to her lips telling him to keep quiet.

Esmerelda could hear her parents walk into the room and her father talking to the chef and she could hear the conversation clearly.

"Have you seen my daughter?" he asked the man

"N...No...not here..sir" the man said stuttering.

"Where is she?" Mr Hallow asked able to tell he was being lied to.

"I ...I don't" the man replied still playing dumb.

"Milo if you want to keep your job here then I suggest you talk" Mr Hallow threatened.

"But..I have to feed my family!" he said "Please don't fire me!" the man said in a pleading way.

"Your job is safe if you tell me where Esmerelda is" Mr Hallow replied.

Esmerelda screeched as her hiding place was revealed and her father reached in to grab her from under the table but she crawled away and stood up taking of again but she didn't get far because as she rounded the corner she was grabbed from behind and thrown against the wall aggressively.

"Don't make me angry Esmerelda" her father said to her holding her upper arms tightly causing the girl to whimper in pain but she did not have much time to dwell on this because suddenly she found herself in her bedroom again, her father having just transferred them. Her father was still holding onto her and threw her against her bed, but the girl wiggled as her mother appeared in the room.

The girl then felt such a hard blow to her head everything turned black for a few seconds and that blow gave her father the time to use the paralysing spell again. This time he moved faster as he knew she would complain more now she knew what was going to happen and before the girl even had time to try recover from the blow she had taken she felt him shove himself inside her again.

Maybe Esmerelda had only being thinking wishfully but the girl had convinced herself if she did have to go through this again the pain would not be as bad the second time. After all, this time she was not going to be losing her virginity so that should make it less painful but the pain was just as worse as the first time, maybe even more so, as she had still barely recovered from the first time.

She screamed out loudly just like she had done the first time. Her father pulled back and shoved in again going deeper than he had even done the first time and the girl screamed and screamed, her mother not bothering to attempt to stop her this time. The woman just stood and watched.

Eventually he climaxed and pulled out of the girl who openly cried this time and sobbed even more as he grabbed her pulling her up roughly as if she was a ragdoll.

"Don't anger me again, I warned you I can make it worse" he yelled at the girl before pushing her back on the bed and Esmie lay down sobbing as her parents left unable to believe it had happened again.

* * *

Later that evening after the girl had cleaned herself up she was lying down when she heard her sisters mirroring her again. She knew this time she could not ignore them or they would grow suspicious so she sat up, hoping her eyes were not to red, and faced them trying to act normal.

"Esmie guess what I made some friends!" Sybil said the second she saw her sister and Esmerelda forced herself to smile at her little sister.

"That is great news Sybil" the eldest blonde told the other blonde.

"Are you alright Esmie? "You seem a bit down?" Ethel commented with a worried expression on her face. Why did Ethel have to be able to read her so well?

"Oh yes I am fine just tired" Esmerelda lied faking a yawn and covering her mouth "I haven't being sleeping so good" Esmerelda told her sister honestly.

"Oh..." Ethel said sadly "How have mum and dad being?" Ethel asked her sister and Esmerelda prayed that Ethel and Sybil missed the flinch she did at their names.

"Oh well you know, their being mum and dad" Esmerelda replied with a shrug towards her sister.

"Esmie has something happened...you seem...I don't know ….strange" Ethel told her sister sensing something was wrong. She had not much to go off but she could feel something was off.

"No...everything is fine...I am just fed up of being at home" Esmerelda lied wanting more than anything to tell Ethel the truth but her father's threat rang in her ears and she knew she couldn't dare.

Ethel looked at her sister clearly not convinced and Esmerelda had to think of something.

"Stop looking at me like that everything is fine" Esmie told her sister annoyed and Ethel moved her lips which Esmie knew meant she wasn't buying it but she did change the subject.

"Well on a great note, HB and Cackle have agreed to the weekend visit!" Ethel told her sister and Sybil beamed happily.

For the first time in a few days Esmerelda beamed properly as she realised she would be free for a few days with her favourite two people in the world.

"Oh yes that is fantastic!" Esmerelda replied happily.

"I know isn't it?" Sybil replied "But they said not next week the week after as the Great Wizard is coming next Saturday" Sybil explained to her sister.

Esmerelda's smile dropped then as she realised she still had two weeks of torture at home to get through something both Ethel and Sybil noticed which caused the two younger girls to look at each other confused.

* * *

Things over the next few weeks were pure torture for the young teenager. To try and stop anything happening she would go out early and go home late hoping she would miss her parents, or at least her father,but somehow they always seemed to catch her. Esmie would not be surprised if they had a tracking spell on her.

She would still fuss and she would still try get out of it but the more she complained the angrier her father would get. The girl would still scream everytime. The pain never got better. Not. A. Little. Bit. She hated every moment of it.

Esmerelda's personality soon started to change as well and the girl just knew her sisters were suspicious,every time she spoke to them they would try get it out of her. She had always being the quiet type but now she was quiet in a different way as if she was to traumatised to speak, she started to close of into her own dark little world.

The girl had thought of suicide because she had gotten so low but it was Ethel and Sybil that stopped her. She couldn't put them through the heartache and she had a dark fear if she died her father would go after Ethel next. He didn't really need a reason for Ethel after all as he had hated her for a long time.

Esmerelda was also starting to realise how terrified she was of men or even boys her age. She could not get near them without having to bolt for the nearest exit or throwing up, even though Esmerelda knew most men were safe, she still couldn't stop herself from being scared and Esmerelda was convinced she had some sort of anxiety as she was constantly finding herself having panic attacks. Her chest would tighten and she would gasp for breathe. It normally happened when she was around men or she saw her parents but sometimes it happened when she was just sitting on her bed. They normally didn't last long but feeling like you couldn't breathe was a horrible feeling.

The two weeks were passing slowly and Esmerelda was suffering the abuse every day but what was happening to her took a back seat on the Friday before her weekend away with her sisters. A huge worry was on her mind and she had to find out the truth even if the truth would be way to much for her to bare she had to know one way or another.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Horrible Truth

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying this story despite the dark themes.

* * *

Chapter Five

 **The Horrible Truth**

The young blonde was sat on the floor of her bathroom nervously tapping her fingers as she looked at the wall trying to stop herself from panicking as she waited for the result.

The girl had been sick every morning repeatedly for the last week and could not help thinking that she was pregnant, of course if she had magic a simple spell would have told her in a few seconds the truth but as she was powerless she had to use a normal pregnancy test, getting her hands on the test was not easy either.

* * *

Her parents had left for work that Friday morning and the young girl had gone out to the local village. The problem she had was it was likely she would be spotted, as many of her parents friends lived near by, so she was careful to sneak into the shop with a group of other people to cover her and then she walked to the aisle she needed.

The girl looked anywhere but at the tests pretending she was looking for something else when she was actually looking for the coast being clear. When she saw no-one down her aisle and that the shopkeeper was not looking her way she grabbed a few boxes and rushed to the till, knowing her luck she would get caught if she tried to steal it with how lucky she had been recently.

There was no queue and she placed her purchases on the counter. The shopkeeper was a woman about in her thirties and scanned the tests, glancing at the blonde girl the whole time.

"Problem?" Esmerelda asked knowing she was looking at her as she was buying a pregnancy test and she was clearly still in her teens.

"Well I was just... I am not judging but ...we do have a special deal going on condoms" the woman replied matter of factly.

Esmerelda was not exactly sure what a condom was but from the way the woman said it she suspected that it was some sort of protection to prevent pregnancy, and she was not sure what came over her but she could not help but be sarcastic.

"Oh well...don't you think it is a little late for that, all things considering" Esmerelda replied as she looked at the boxes on the counter. The woman smiled awkwardly.

"I was just trying to be helpful" she replied.

"Isn't it your job to scan my items without commenting on them?" Esmerelda asked not liking the fact she was being judged. The woman only nodded and asked her for the money which Esmerelda gave her hastily.

"Do you want a bag?" the woman stupidly asked, the look Esmerelda gave the woman told her to stop being so stupid and stop asking stupid questions. Of course she flaming did, did she think she was going to casually walk around with it in her hand? The woman grabbed a bag and put the tests in before commenting.

"Bags are five pence" the woman told the girl. Esmerelda continued to glare at the woman who gulped.

"But for you they are free...have a nice day..." the woman said as Esmerelda took the bag and left without another word, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible.

* * *

That was how the girl ended up sitting on the bathroom floor waiting for the result and cursing none magical people who had such a long method to find out the truth, the few minutes she had to wait was driving her mental.

The girl had also not had a period since her attacks had began which was also worrying her, but she was not sure if that was because she was pregnant or the trauma she had gone through had stopped them.

She looked at the stick in her hand and saw it wasn't ready yet and moaned just wanting to know one way or another.

A few more minutes passed and she knew now it was more than likely ready but she was trying to put of looking and just tapping her fingers on her knee, not wanting to read the result even though she wanted to know at the same time.

She looked at her watch, the hands moving to show it was half past and she took some deep breathes just telling herself to do it, she would never look if she kept putting it off. She took some more deep breathes and then lifted the stick within her vision.

 _Pregnant._

The girl told herself not to panic as she read the result. These stupid tests were unreliable, which is exactly why witches had stopped using them years ago. She stood up and walked over to her sink where she had three other tests waiting. She was not one to take any chances and four seemed a good number to her to be reliable.

The girl prayed to herself the rest would be negative, or at least two would be so she would not have to face up to the reality as she would tell herself the positive ones were false. She looked over at the first test with a hopeful look.

 _Pregnant._

Okay two out of four was not exactly worrying, that meant the tests could not make their made up about it, she looked over at the third her smile dropping at the result.

 _Pregnant._

Three out of four. Now that was more worrying but she told herself not to panic, the last one had to be negative and when it was she would know these tests are not truthful. She grasped onto that, she had to before she totally lost herself. She shifted her gaze to look at the last test.

 _Pregnant._

Well that was it then. The girl was not stupid, she knew four tests in a row would not give her a positive result unless she was actually pregnant. She picked up the tests from the sink, threw them across the room and then sank onto the floor and cried.

She did not know how she was supposed to feel exactly. The baby was half her child, and half her sibling and the thought disgusted her. She felt vile rise to her throat at the thought as she thought to deeply into it and ran to the toilet and threw up. After she had finished she stopped crying knowing getting upset would not change her reality, she had to think seriously now.

Did she dare to tell Ethel and Sybil? If she did they would ask questions and Esmerelda knew she was not a good liar, they would know if she was lying about the father but if she didn't tell them when they found out it would be like she didn't trust them and of course she could not hide it forever.

And then there was the obvious fact of what on earth she could do with the baby. Esmerelda knew she could not keep it, it had nothing really to do with age or ability, she looked after her little sisters so she knew she would be alright, it was the fact she knew her parents would hurt the child, maybe not the way they did her but mentally the child would suffer. She knew she couldn't put the baby through that torture but the girl hated the thought of abortion. She would never forgive herself for killing her child she knew that, she was not the type of person that could do it. So that meant she would have to give it up for adoption. The girl knew it was going to be hard, she knew she had a problem with becoming way to attached to people, but if she was reassured her child was safe, she could sleep easy.

She told herself to try not to worry to much yet, she had a whole weekend with her little sisters to look forward to, she knew she had to tell them and she will do but on the Sunday before she left, she didn't want her pregnancy to be hanging over them the whole weekend. She just wanted a few more normal days with just her, Ethel and Sybil.

* * *

The girl wiped her eyes and picked up the tests she had thrown as she walked out of her bedroom. She hid the tests in a box she kept under her bed that had old photographs and things inside, not knowing what else she should do with them. If she threw them away one of the servants might find them or heaven forbid her parents. That was another worry the girl had how was she going to hide this from her parents?

She knew they would blame her and they would make everything so much worse for her when they found out even if it isn't her fault, maybe she could get Ethel and Sybil to help her with spells to conceal it once she was a bit further along.

She shook her head telling herself not to panic to much just yet, she did not have to worry about that right now, she had a while of yet for that worry. With that in mind the girl pushed the box of her possessions she kept under her bed and pulled her trunk out starting to pack her clothes in it for the weekend, she could not wait until tomorrow morning when she would be going to Cackles for the weekend visit. She needed to pack right now before she burst into tears again, she needed a distraction.

As it was only two days the girl did not have much to pack so she put the last of her clothes in her trunk, closed it up and then sat on her bed with a sigh.

The girl's worry of being pregnant came back to her now she was not distracted and she hovered her hand over her stomach slightly before lowering it and placing it on her stomach gently, trying to get used to the idea of the new life growing inside her.


	6. Chapter 6 - A Mother's Instinct

A/N: This chapter might cause some people upset. You have being warned, mentions of rape!

* * *

Chapter Six

 **A Mother's Instinct**

Esmerelda continued to sit for a few minutes with her hand on her stomach still trying to get her head around the idea of the fact she was pregnant. She could barely get her head around the idea of it, but she quickly removed her hand and jumped as her door flew open and her parents walked in. The girl gulped, but for once didn't scream. She didn't think it was a wise idea to open her mouth as she still felt like she was about to throw up again.

"You all packed?" her father asked her and the girl could only nod. Could he not get on with it instead of pretending to care about her packing? The girl was slowly backing towards her door as he was distracted hoping she could slip out.

Esmerelda might be a teenager, but she knew one or two things about magical pregnancies. They really did not differ that much to a normal pregnancy but Esmerelda knew that flying whilst in the late stages of pregnancy was dangerous, being transferred was not exactly dangerous at any stage but it did cause people to feel nauseous and it was not recommended for later stages, drinking potions was a big no, the ingredients could do a lot of damage to the baby and witches were fine to use spells themselves but they had to be careful not to be hit by spells themselves because that again could affect the pregnancy.

Esmerelda was just about to turn her door handle to walk out when her whole body started to throb. One of her parents had just shot a spell at it. She knew this spell it caused discomfort to the body but was relatively harmless but today she might as well of had the Cackles roof falling on her as her whole body tingled in pain and she slid down her door onto the floor.

When her father threw her on the bed she told herself just to try behave. She couldn't afford to have him keep attacking her with spells, even if she was not planning on keeping the baby she was still going to protect it as best as she could.

Esmerelda could sense her father looking at her mother. After all the girl was acting strangely. She was not putting up a fight, normally he had to use the paralysis spell to even get close to her. Esmerelda closed her eyes telling him in her head to hurry the hell up if he was going to rape her.

* * *

The girl a few seconds later felt the familiar feeling of his entire weight on her. Normally, the girl felt like she could not breathe at this point, like he was sitting on her lungs and knocking all the air out of her. She was used to that feeling but today, with her new state, she could feel him pressing into her womb, squeezing her and she screamed out, her father looked at her in a way that meant he was losing his patience as the girl finally came to her senses and started to try push him off.

"ESMERELDA STOP" he shouted as she practically hit him to try remove her from her abdomen.

"You are hurting me!" the girl complained tears falling out of her eyes.

In that moment she got a overwhelming feeling to protect her child, like she did Ethel and Sybil and the reality of her pregnancy came to her finally. Maybe the baby was half her child and half her sibling, the thought disgusted her to no end but it did not mean she was not becoming attached already. She had that problem of getting attached way to easily and she knew in her head it was happening already. Family was the most important thing to the girl, she loved her sisters more than anything in the world and had in a way mothered them for years herself since her parents could not be bothered and her grandmother had moved to Australia years ago. She was the one who was there for them when they were upset or hurt, or even happy and the one who held them as they sobbed and held them proudly when they achieved something. She was a natural mother figure and she knew she could hate no child of hers even with who their father was. Her motherly instincts were coming out now at full blow.

"I haven't even touched you!" her father yelled at her "Now stop whining, you are doing my head in" he said but he had gotten her fired up and she started to kick against him, not prepared to just do nothing when he was squishing her child.

Her father lifted his hand to use a spell at her, probably the body paralysing one as she knew he loved that one, but she was not just going to let him. Not this time.

"Don't please" Esmerelda begged him and she could sense her parents were doing that thing again where they looked at each other as if trying to figure out why she was being strange.

"You can't use spells on me..." Esmerelda said without thinking which caused another look between the adults to occur.

Her father grabbed hold of her wrists then getting close to her face "Oh yeah? "Why can't I?" he yelled at her.

Telling her sisters first about the pregnancy was what the girl wanted and she knew she had to make something up to hide that fact.

"Come on smarty pants give me a reason!" He replied shaking her slightly as he yelled at her. When she didn't answer he let go of her and raised his hand again about to cast the spell but Esmerelda knew the danger it would cause, it was much more powerful than the one he had used before. She had no choice, she had to tell them something and it was about to come out, she couldn't hold in the truth anymore, not when she was so worried about the baby's safety.

"Don't please...I..." Esmerelda begged him causing him to look at her, annoyance in his eyes.

"You are what?" he asked her angrily.

"I...I'm pregnant..." the girl said so quietly it was hard to understand her, especially through her sobs, but Esmie knew her father had heard her because he was in so much shock he let go of her wrists and the girl fell back onto her pillow from the force as she cried softly.

* * *

"You what!?" her mother said. Esmerelda could almost sense the glare from her.

Even though her mother had a bad reaction Esmerelda hoped for once maybe just maybe her father will show some kindness, by at least leaving her alone considering the state she was in, especially considering it was his child, but after a few minutes Esmie knew that was not going to happen because he seemed to come to his senses and grabbed her again, harder than before.

"You disgusting little slut! who have you being sleeping around with?" he yelled at her as he accused her of sleeping around and Esmerelda whimpered before replying.

"No-one ...it's because you keep...attacking me" Esmerelda told him in explanation.

"Are you trying to make our family a laughing stock? First you give up your magic and now teenage pregnancy, everyone will be talking by tomorrow" her mother said also yelling at her and Esmerelda did not know how they did not realise this was their fault.

"We will have to sneak her to the clinic...the sooner the better" her father said to the woman, clearly talking about abortion.

"No...please...I am keeping it" Esmerelda told them having second thoughts about the adoption. Maybe she could find somewhere to live away from her parents, she was becoming attached and knew she would find it quite impossible to give her baby up, even to a good home.

"No you are not! "No-one can find out about this" her mother told her harshly. Esmerelda wondered how the woman could be so hard on her, she was after all a mother, granted a crap one but she was still a mother.

"You are not keeping that...thing!" her father told her harshly, in a tone meaning she had no choice.

"Yes I am..." the girl replied not backing down.

She suddenly screamed out loudly as he hit her with the paralysing spell, so quickly she hardly had time to blink. The spell usually did not cause pain but today her body was tingling and her stomach cramped as the spell hit her.

The girl screamed out, but even more so as her father used the distraction to shoot a spell at her which made her clothes disappear and he shoved himself inside her before she could notice.

"No stop" she begged him as she screamed out, she wasn't sure how much damage this could do to the baby, she thought she had read somewhere sex during pregnancy is fine, but she didn't think that meant aggressively.

"Please...the baby..." Esmerelda told him through her sobs hating herself for not able to protect it as pain raged through her body and to her stomach.

When he had finished up the girl cried gently on her pillow before he got close to her to talk.

"You will go for this weekend visit and you will act normal and not utter a word of this ...horrible thing to anyone, and then when you come back you will do what we say, do you understand?" he asked her and she nodded biting her lip terrified. Her parents left, they practically flew out the door with anger, and she was left alone.

* * *

She wiped her eyes and dressed into her pyjamas as it was growing late and as she went and got into bed she touched her stomach, today had proved to the girl she could not keep her child, as much as she wanted to she couldn't. She didn't care about the family pride or anything but she knew that even if she could move out somehow away from her parents they would track her down.

"Sorry baby..." she said to her stomach, even though she knew she was not far enough along yet for the baby to hear her.

She soon fell asleep looking forward to tomorrow, she was in the usual amount of pain as always when she got attacked but this time she was distressed in her sleep because of the cramps in her stomach, that went as soon as they came. They were only every few hours and they went so quickly the girl barely had time to react before she would find herself sound asleep again.


	7. Chapter 7 - Obvious Pain

A/N: Upsetting scenes in this chapter

* * *

Chapter Seven

 **Obvious Pain**

Mr and Mrs Hallow landed on the tarmac outside the castle of the school with Esmerelda. As the girl had no magic it was the only way she was able to get to the school, even though Esmerelda knew transferring was not such a brilliant idea, she had no choice if she wanted to see her little sisters.

"Remember, keep your mouth shut" Mrs Hallow told her as her and her husband disappeared leaving Esmerelda outside the castle and she took a few steps holding her trunk but stopped as she felt a pain in her stomach.

She knew it was not a good idea to transfer. She had been having pains in her abdomen but only every few hours for a few seconds at a time but her body being shifted back and force seemed to of made them stronger.

"ESMIE" the blonde heard as she looked up and saw her sisters running through the door of the castle and beaming. The girl forgot about her pain then and ran towards them hugging them both as she got close having missed them very much.

The three sisters embraced for a long time. Esmie kissed both girls on the top of their heads as they cuddled into her more, in reality it had been weeks since they had seen each other but it felt like months and months.

"I missed you" Ethel whispered to her and Esmie smiled knowingly, she had heard from Sybil that Ethel had been on edge and stressed since school started as she was feeling guilt about what happened and missed her.

"I missed you too, both of you" Esmerelda commented as she squeezed the girls tighter not quite ready to let them go just yet. Eventually though the sisters knew they had to let go so they slowly pulled away still keeping their arms around each others shoulders as they walked towards the castle.

* * *

"Guess what Esmie, I passed my latest potions test" Sybil told her sister as they walked and the older girl beamed in pride.

"Well done Sybil, that is fantastic!" the girl told her as she squeezed her as they arrived to the front door. They had to let go of each other then as they reached the door as only one person could fit through at one time so they did that and walked into the castle together.

"Ahh Esmerelda Hallow" Miss Hardbroom said as they walked in, clearly she had been waiting.

"Well met...Miss Hardbroom" the girl said touching her forehead in greeting, the woman did not gesture back but did speak.

"We have a room for you to use as you are here, it is my duty to take you to it so you can unpack" Miss Hardbroom told the girl.

"But she has just got here!" Ethel complained just as Hecate transferred the three of them down a old corridor they didn't use for much but storerooms but there was a couple of old bedrooms here and Hecate led them to one. It was the standard Cackles bedroom nothing special and Esmerelda put her trunk on the bed.

"The same rules still apply to you even if you are a guest, make sure there is no trouble this weekend" Miss Hardbroom warned all three girls knowing what the sisters were like.

"No Miss Hardbroom" the girls chimed. The woman nodded and disappeared and Esmerelda opened her trunk to start to unpack.

"Leave that for now, we want to spend time with you" Sybil told her sister. Esmerelda closed her trunk and nodded with a smile.

"Great, what first?" the girl asked before she felt a stabbing pain in her stomach and whimpered touching it gently. Ethel and Sybil looked at each other.

"Are you okay?" Ethel asked concerned. Esmie nodded.

"Great...just great...come on Sybil I want to meet these friends of yours" she told them as the three of them left the room Ethel and Sybil brushing of their concerns thinking it was a one off.

* * *

Before long the sisters were sat with Mildred, Maud, Enid, Felicity, Clarice and Beatrice all making small conversation to each other, none of them knowing what to say.

"It is nice to see you again Esmerelda" Mildred told the blonde awkwardly. Esmerelda was after all nice enough but she was not very good at making conversation with people who were not her sisters.

"Thank you Mildred, ...I see the food is still gross" Esmerelda said as she played with her what was supposed to be soup at lunchtime.

"Sadly they haven't changed it yet" Enid told her. Esmerelda nodded until she suddenly put her arms around her stomach and hissed as another sharp pain came.

The pains were becoming more frequent. Now they were about every five minutes but from the second she had taken a seat at the table everyone could sense something was wrong, she was pale, on edge, and clearly trying to hide the fact she was in obvious pain.

"Are you okay?" Maud asked her concerned as she saw her distress.

"Yes you look really awful Esmie" Sybil commented. Esmerelda tried to force a smile and looked at everyone around the table.

"Really I am fine" the girl said as she looked at her bowl of soup playing with it to try and hide her discomfort from the onlookers.

"Yes of course you are, now tell us the truth" Ethel replied. Everyone else at the table might leave it but Ethel was her own person and she was going to keep going on about it until Esmerelda spoke.

"Really Ethie I am fine...just nerves that is all" the girl told everyone still keeping her head down.

"Nerves? It is only Clarice and I you are meeting for the first time" Beatrice replied confused as she did not see how the girl could be nervous as she knew everyone around this table except for them.

"If there was a problem I would tell you" Esmerelda told the group and Mildred glanced at her two dearest friends and they all gave each other the same look knowing she was lying. She would not tell them anything.

"Esmie...if something is wrong you can tell Sybil and I if you don't want to tell anyone else" Ethel whispered leaning forward to talk to her. Esmerelda looked at her sister and Ethel gasped seeing the obvious fear in her eyes but before either sister could speak again Beatrice sneezed.

* * *

The group of girls landed in a storage room and all complained as they were squeezed in tightly together, it was a old storeroom with limited space.

"What just happened?" Felicity asked looking around.

"She has hay fever when she sneezes we get tran.." Clarice started to say but no-one got to hear the end of the bespectacled girls sentence as Beatrice sneezed again and the group ended up in the kitchen.

"ported" Clarice finished. Everyone looked around knowing how horrible the lunch ladies were so this time when the girl sneezed it was a relief, especially when they ended up back in their original seats in the hall.

"Sorry" Beatrice told the girls as she squeezed her nose to stop herself from sneezing again, everyone was so distracted they did not notice how much worse Esmerelda was at first.

"Ahh" the girl suddenly screamed out unable to help it, everyone at the table turned to look at her curiously shocked to see the girl was clearly in obvious pain and a much worse state than before.

The pain had been coming every five to eight minutes or so but with all the shifting of her body it was coming quickly and rapidly now without a break, the girl clutched her stomach whimpering as pain shot through her body, for a moment everyone just watched the girl as tears began to stream down her face as she started to cry from the pain. She breathed rapidly clutching her stomach and trying to stop herself screaming in pain but it was no use. Everyone in the hall turned to look at her and stared at her confused,until Ethel came to her senses.

"Right that is it, we are going to the nurse" Ethel told Esmerelda in a way meaning she had no choice in the matter.

"No please...I am fine" Esmerelda replied through deep breathes.

"Esmie...you need help you are in pain" Sybil told her gently trying to reason with her even though she knew Esmie had always being one of those people who absolutely hated medical attention.

"Esmie come on" Ethel said gently worried about her sister and wanting her to listen but Esmerelda jumped up before Ethel could get to close to her.

"I need the toilet" the older blonde said before she rushed off quickly away from the table.

"Esmie..wait!" Ethel shouted after her before looking at Sybil.

"Come on we best go after her" Ethel told the younger girl but Mildred could sense that the girl wanted time to herself right now. She knew the girl would not get help if her sisters nagged her.

"Ethel leave her for a while, she will not go to the nurse if you keep nagging her about it" Mildred told the blonde logically

"She is right Ethel, she is as stubborn as you, she won't go if we keep trying to force her" Sybil told her older sister and Ethel sighed knowing both her sister and Mildred were right and sat back down feeling the awkwardness in the air that had being left from what happened.


	8. Chapter 8 - Looking For Esmie

A/N: Upsetting scenes in this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Eight

 **Looking For Esmie**

The group of schoolgirls sat around the table for a further ten minutes in silence, the only sounds that could be heard was that of spoons scrapping across their bowls as they ate their lumpy soup. After ten minutes Ethel threw her spoon into her bowl with a clang and stood up.

"I can't just sit here, I am going to go and find her she is being ages" Ethel told the group before looking at her little sister. "Are you coming Sybil?" Ethel asked her wondering if she was going to help her look for Esmerelda. Sybil nodded and jumped up too.

"Do you want us to come?" Clarice asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"No thanks, no offence but Esmie will hate it if anyone else comes, she is prideful believe it or not" Ethel told the group.

"Sounds like a Hallow to me" Mildred replied as Enid laughed at the comment.

"Yes thank you Mildred, come on Sybil" Ethel told her.

"Well we will stay here in case she comes back, we will tell her you went to look for her" Maud commented and Ethel nodded as she took her little sister's hand.

"Thanks" she said as the two blondes left to find Esmerelda.

* * *

Esmie had lied. She had not gone to the bathroom but to the bedroom she would be using that weekend. She rushed in and slammed the door shut before walking to her bed and sitting down hunched over in severe pain. She thought it might be wise to take some painkillers so she got up and slowly opened her trunk.

The girl opened the trunk crying with pain as she fiddled around trying to find the box of pills as she held her stomach with the other hand. As she did that she realised she felt really dizzy and held onto her bed for support.

* * *

Ethel and Sybil left the hall rushing down the empty corridors trying to decide where they should look.

"She said she was going to the bathroom" the youngest blonde told her sister as they walked.

"Yes you are right Sybil, you go look in the toilets on the first and second floor, I will search the dorm toilets" Ethel commented thinking it would be wise if they separated.

"Okay let's meet back here" Sybil replied as the girls left in different directions.

"Esmie" Sybil said as she looked in the ground floor toilets, there was a few other first years in there but no sign of Esmerelda.

"Have you seen my sister, Esmerelda not Ethel?" Sybil asked the girls

"What does she look like?" one of the first years asked because she had never met the eldest sister before.

"She is blonde, and she has her hair down, oh and she is in her own clothes not a uniform because well she isn't a pupil right now" Sybil told the girls as much as she could.

"Oh well no, we haven't seen her" another girl replied thinking she would remember if someone wearing normal clothes had walked in. Sybil nodded and walked out before taking the stairs to search the at the other end of the school.

Ethel was not having much luck either. She walked into the first dorm toilets she arrived at and started to shout for her sister which was met with a lot of funny looks by the girls in there.

"What?" Ethel asked as she gave them a look and then walked out satisfied her sister was not in there.

* * *

As Cackle's was so big and neither girl knew the transfer spell it took them a good forty minutes to search all the bathrooms and both girls met outside the hall like they had planned both panting from the amount of stairs they had climbed.

"Any luck?" Sybil asked her sister hoping she had found her.

"No, I can't find her anywhere" Ethel replied through heavy breathes.

"Do you think maybe she went to her bedroom? She wasn't feeling well so maybe she decided to go and lie down" Sybil commented with a suggestion as to where the oldest blonde could be knowing if the girl was not well she probably would have gone to lie down.

"Good idea Sybil, let's quickly check to see if she took herself to the nurse and if not we will go there next" Ethel told her sister as they rushed off again.

* * *

Both girls looked in the nurse's wing for their sister and checked the book at the side for the students who were currently in and saw that their sister had not being there so they left and like Ethel said they started to make their way to the girls bedroom that she would be staying in.

"That girl is so stubborn" Ethel complained as they made their way there.

"Oh and you aren't?" Sybil commented knowing if the situation was reversed Ethel would be ten times worse than Esmerelda.

"Okay I probably would be just as bad" Ethel commented "But even she must know she needs the nurse right now, she has been acting funny since she got here, in fact not just since she got here, for the last few weeks whenever we mirrored her she seemed distant" Ethel commented as they rushed along the empty corridor.

"Maybe she thinks we don't want to talk to her since we are at school now or something?" Sybil replied trying to think of a reason for their sister's odd behaviour. The youngest girl had noticed it to, she was being very strange indeed.

"No...there is something wrong I just know it, I can feel it, you didn't see her eyes before, I have never seen her look so terrified before" Ethel replied biting her lip. At first she honestly had thought her sister was being a teenager, she was after all nearly fifteen so she had to act like a teenager at some point and she had thought she might finally be showing her teenager side and was choosing to be moody, especially now she is at home, but Ethel just knew there was something else wrong, she could just feel it.

"Well maybe she doesn't want to tell us, she doesn't have to tell us everything" Sybil commented logically realising maybe Esmie wanted whatever the problem was to be a secret.

"No she doesn't but she does have to tell us if she is suffering, I mean it is strange, she grew much worse when we were transferred, Mildred I understand maybe as she has only being transferred for a year and only a few times but Esmie has being transferred since she was tiny, we all have, she shouldn't suffer any affects at all" Ethel commented as she tried to turn her brain on to think what it meant.

"I am worried about that too, I have no idea what caused her to react like that but if something was really wrong Esmie would tell us" Sybil replied knowing the girl would talk to them about it even if she didn't anyone else.

Ethel didn't reply at that. As much as she wanted to believe Esmie would tell them she also knew all three of them had the problem of bottling things up and trying to hide it and she couldn't help thinking she was hiding something big this time.

* * *

Esmerelda still felt dizzy and she was horrified to feel like her vision was becoming blurred. It was only as she was looking around trying to sort out her blurry vision she felt something warm and wet on her stomach. She touched her stomach with two fingers and saw there was blood on her fingertips as she pulled them away. She had no idea in that moment what this meant because she had no time to dwell on it as she was feeling faint.

When she saw the blood she became even more light-headed as she saw the blood and as she lost more blood her version blurred to blackness.

* * *

Ethel and Sybil were just about to reach Esmie's room when they suddenly heard a loud crash from the direction of her room. Both girls jumped and stopped walking.

"What was that!?" Sybil asked with wide eyes

"I don't know it sounded like something falling over" Ethel said knowing it had to of being something quite heavy to produce such a noise. "Come on" Ethel said as she ran towards Esmerelda's room her sister hot on her heels.


	9. Chapter 9 - Something Wrong

A/N: I have been having problems uploading so sorry for the delay in this chapter. Very upsetting and dark chapter you have been warned.

* * *

Chapter Nine

 **Something Wrong**

The two younger sisters reached the bedroom door and started to knock on it loudly, both having a bad feeling.

"Esmie come on we know you are in there" Ethel commented through the door knowing there was no-where else she could be.

"We heard something fall, we just want to check you are okay" Sybil replied as they both knocked on the door. When Esmerelda did not reply or make any attempt to open the door, Ethel lifted her hands, waved her hands a few times and unlocked the latch which was bolting the door closed before opening the door.

When the door opened Ethel and Sybil stayed stood in the doorway for a few seconds just staring as they realised Esmerelda was lying on the floor. Ethel came back to reality first and ran over to her older sister starting to shake her.

"Esmie...Esmie wake up!" the younger blonde shouted shaking her shoulders but it was no good, the girl was in what appeared to be a dead faint. Sybil was still stood in the doorway to shocked and scared to move.

"ESMIE" Ethel shouted shaking the girl more willing her to wake up but the girl kept her eyes closed and made no attempt to move. Ethel stopped shaking her and lowered her hands from her shoulders trying to think on the top of her head want she could do.

Ethel was just about to turn around to tell Sybil to go get the nurse when she suddenly became confused. The girl could feel her hands felt strangely warm and wet at the same time and she lifted her hands and stared at them in wide eyed shock as she realised what was on her hands.

* * *

When Ethel and Sybil had entered the room neither girl had taken a good look at their sister as their biggest concern was that she was unconscious,but when Ethel had lowered her hands to think she had laid them on her sister's stomach as she was lost in thought but it was only now as she looked at her hands she realised something was horribly wrong.

The entire palms of both of her hands were covered in blood and as she sat back to look at her sister properly she realised there was blood everywhere. Esmerelda's stomach was covered in blood, there was so much she looked like a stab victim, Ethel swallowed the vile that rose to her throat as she saw that but managed to get her words out.

"Sybil...get the nurse" Ethel managed to say as she looked from her blooded hands to her sisters blooded stomach.

Sybil though was to scared to move, the same way she had been at the beginning of the year with the fire. All she could do was stare between her two sisters in shock. Ethel looked at her hands once more as she realised Sybil was still standing there.

"SYBIL GO" Ethel shouted coming to her senses as she realised how much blood Esmerelda had already lost and by the fact that the blood on her hands was still warm and wet she knew that it was likely the bleeding had not stopped yet.

Sybil nodded and jumped in shock as she was shouted at before she ran out the room faster than she had ever ran before.

Ethel sat next to her sister just looking at her in shock before she felt the tears coming and for once she was not going stop them falling, she cried gently trying to resist from touching her sister as she did not want to cause more damage.

* * *

Sybil ran down flights of stairs, through doorways, into pupils and into Miss Drill and finally skidded into the infirmary, panting and out of breathe.

Ada was in their talking to the nurse as she stroked the arm of the girl sitting up in the bed who looked like she had done something to her leg by the angle of it. Sybil looked at them as she entered and the adults turned to look at her confused. Sybil was so worried and scared she could only get a few words out.

"Come...Esmie...blood...dying..." Sybil said panting out from all the running she had done.

"What are you talking about?" Ada asked eyes narrowed in confusion and concerned.

"Miss...blood everywhere...she isn't awake...please help" Sybil said as she burst into tears.

Ada knew the youngest Hallow sister was quite different from her two sisters and that the girl was quite fearful a lot of the time, but this time felt different, she had never seen the girl in such a panic before and why would the girl pretend her sister was in trouble, it was a horrible thing to do and Sybil Hallow was not a liar.

Ada glanced at the nurse and saw she too looked gobsmacked but the nurse rushed over to the other side of the room where another nurse was and spoke to her quickly before coming back to Ada and nodding at her. They both rushed up to Sybil.

"It is going to be okay Sybil, we are going to her now" Ada told the young girl as they were transferred away.

* * *

Ethel kept crying and shaking incredibly worried and shaken up, she didn't know if she should try to wake her sister again or try clean up the blood, the last thing she wanted was for it to be worse. Ethel could honestly say she had never being so terrified in her life, even last year when she had to save her sister from the collapsing building she was nowhere near as afraid, it had happened so fast but Ethel knew her sister this time would be lucky to come out alive and the thought made her sob more.

Why had they left her? Stupid Mildred Hubble saying to leave her! Ethel told herself. She had no sisters what did she know? Ethel was just asking herself this when she heard something behind her.

Esmie had half opened her eyes and could hear and see Ethel crying and panicking by her side she was confused trying to remember what had happened.

"Ethie" the girl said causing Ethel to turn. Ethel saw her and if possible cried more as she did so. Her sister was normally the strong one, the one who was the one doing the comforting, seeing her so vulnerable killed her.

"Esmie...try not to panic" Ethel told her stroking her face trying to soothe her a little.

It was then Esmerelda's memory came back a little. She was pregnant and had been in pain and then she saw blood on her fingers and then everything went black so she must of fainted.

"Ba ...by..." Esmerelda managed to choke out horsely struggling to speak. Ethel's eyebrows narrowed in confusion a second but she knew her sister was confused.

"Don't talk, don't waste your energy" Ethel told her sister stroking her cheek more.

Despite the fact that the girl kept her eyes half closed she suddenly started to make a moaning noise as the pain hit her again. Ethel could tell from the sound her sister was really suffering. Esmerelda was prideful and stubborn and hated to make a fuss when she was in pain so when she did make a fuss it was always bad and she was not even trying to hide it anymore as she was past caring.

"I know you are in pain but you are going to be fine, Sybil has gone to get the nurse" Ethel told her sister moving her hand to stroke the girls forehead. When her sister moaned in response to that Ethel kissed her on the head and then the cheek trying to comfort her from the pain she knew she was in. Esmerelda let the pain take over again then and she closed her eyes once more in a faint.

* * *

Suddenly Sybil appeared with Ada and the nurse and Ethel became angry upon their arrival.

"Where have you being? She is in pain here you know!" Ethel shouted at them.

"I ran as fast as I could" Sybil replied as the nurse monitored with her hand for Ethel to move back. When the nurse and Ada saw the state of the girl they both had to hide their shock. Sybil was known for overacting and both of them had thought Esmerelda had cut her arm or something, but neither of them had expected this. The nurse took one look at the girl, gulped, and then went back into professional mode.

"I need all of you to leave" the nurse told the two children and the adult.

"No she is our sister and we want to know what is wrong with her!" Ethel replied rudely becoming worse as she was denied the right to stay with Esmerelda.

"I need you lot out of the way, leave now please" the nurse told them.

"Come on you two, the sooner we leave the sooner Esmerelda can be helped" Ada said tapping both the girls on the back and leading them out the room. Shocked Ethel did not fight her and instead nodded and walked away, obviously realising her sister needed help. Ada produced a sofa and told the girls to sit as they waited outside the bedroom, the three of them waiting in deadly silence.


	10. Chapter 10 - Panic

A/N: This chapter has sad, upsetting themes and involves mention of miscarriage and injury, You have been warned.

* * *

Chapter Ten

 **Panic  
**

Sybil tapped her fingers on the sofa as they waited to find out what was wrong with Esmerelda, she did this for a good few minutes until Ethel lost patience.

"Sybil will you stop doing that!" the older blonde shouted annoyed at her.

"I can't help it I am nervous" Sybil replied.

"Yes well you are making me nervous" Ethel replied clearly really on edge right now.

The sisters and Ada sat for a good while longer now in silence as no-one knew what to say to one another. After the nurse had been in with Esmerelda for half a hour she opened the door, seeming slightly panicked before she started to speak.

* * *

"Miss Cackle can I have a word?" she asked as she looked at the older woman. Ada nodded and jumped up before Ethel spoke.

"She is OUR sister, we want to know what is wrong with her" Ethel replied rudely.

"Yes thank you Ethel I will inform you when we find out anything" Ada told the girl as she walked into the bedroom to speak to the nurse feeling kind of worried and there was something else...the nurse if anything seemed awkward.

"Is everything alright?" Ada asked closing the door behind her as she waved her hand to cast a silencing spell. She did not trust Ethel, she knew it was likely she would try to listen.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of her sisters, I didn't exactly know how to tell them" the nurse replied and Ada grew more worried.

"Why what has happened?" Ada asked panicking herself now. Esmerelda might no longer officially be her pupil but it did not mean she did not care about her.

The nurse looked at Ada and cleared her throat instantly turning back into a professional, as she straightened up and spoke in a different tone.

"It is a Ectopic pregnancy" the woman told Ada bluntly not beating around the bush but coming right out with it.

Ada heard what the nurse told her but she could not take it in exactly. It just didn't make sense to her. How could the girl be pregnant? She only had eyes for her sisters. When boys had come to the school from Pentangles for various events she had always noticed Esmerelda was one of the few girls who didn't bother. She was nice to them and she was polite but she didn't seem to be infatuated with any of them. Ada knew the girl was sheltered, and she didn't even know the girl was dating yet. Esmerelda of all people being pregnant was just to shocking for Ada to wrap her head around.

"What did you say it was?" Ada asked after a few minutes when she really started to suspect she had misheard the woman.

"A ectopic pregnancy, they are really dangerous, I have only seen a few in my time, basically the egg gets stuck in the fallopian tube which as you can imagine is dangerous, that is why there was so much blood, I have called a ambulance, I can't do anything for the girl she needs emergency surgery and fast" the nurse told Ada her professional tone wearing of again as panic set in.

"And if she doesn't get this surgery?" Ada asked the woman looking at her seriously.

"Death" the nurse told her simply again. Ada took a breathe knowing she could not allow that to happen and she was thankful the woman already had things speeded along and the doctors were rushing there.

"Right I will tell Hecate to lead the paramedics here and then go back to the girls, I won't tell them anything yet, I will tell them at the hospital" Ada told the nurse who nodded and rushed back to the young girl as Ada transferred herself away to find Hecate.

* * *

Ethel and Sybil were still sitting and waiting to find out what was happening when suddenly two men rushed towards them dressed in green overalls and holding equipment, on their back was printed the word 'paramedic' and both girls looked at each other concerned as Ada appeared.

"Miss why are the paramedics here?" Sybil asked just before Ada transferred both girls away and they found themselves standing in a bright white hospital waiting room.

"Miss why is Esmie being brought here?" Ethel asked her blue eyes wide with obvious fear.

Ada did not want to be the one to have to tell the two girls what was going on but she knew she had to or they would be worrying all sorts of things, she wasn't even sure if Esmerelda had told the girls about the pregnancy or if indeed she even knew herself yet but Ada could not worry about this right now, being a headteacher came with awful situations and she had to learn to deal with them so she monitored for the girls to sit down.

"Sit down, I will tell you what I know" the woman told them as the two blondes took a seat and looked at Ada fearfully.

* * *

"Esmerelda has what is called a Ectopic pregnancy" Ada explained to the girls.

Neither Ethel or Sybil knew what that meant, so the girls focused on the one word that did make sense to them.

"Erm I think you need to give your nurse better training, Esmerelda is not pregnant" Ethel replied as she shook her head revealing to Ada she knew nothing about the pregnancy.

"The nurse looked her over really well and that was the conclusion she came to" Ada replied sympathetically.

"But Esmie would have told us" Sybil said as she sniffed growing upset.

"I am sure she was going to, It can't of being more than a few days that she has known herself" Ada replied trying to reassure the girls but Ethel seemed unable to cope with this.

"But who...no way...she doesn't...she would have...I don't get it...when..." Ethel replied muttering out words and making no sense whatsoever.

"I do not know who the father of this baby is, but right now that is not important, right now we need to worry about Esmerelda as she is in surgery" Ada replied knowing as harsh as it was trying to guess who the possible father was of this baby was not how they should be spending their time. Esmerelda was on the brink of death, right now they had to worry about her.

"What does emlotic mean?" Sybil asked suddenly. Ada under any other circumstance would have laughed at the girls butchering of the word but this was way to serious to laugh at.

"Well you both know more or less what happens in pregnancy yes? Basically the egg got stuck in the fallopian tube, that is the tube that carries the eggs but very rarely it can get stuck there, this is very dangerous and what has happened to Esmerelda, the tube has ruptured which is why there was a lot of blood, she needs surgery to sort this out" Ada told the girls as kindly and gently and in as simple a way as she could She was expecting tears any moment even if she suspected neither girl really understood exactly what she was saying.

"Is she going to lose the baby?" Ethel asked quietly clearly not sure about this as she was not exactly sure what Ada meant exactly. All she knew was something had gone wrong and Esmerelda was now in danger.

Ada wanted to curse Merlin himself for the things these girls had gone through recently, with Esmie losing her powers and the other two having to go to school without her and the trouble the girls had had with their parents. It was one thing after another for them right now, they already had to deal with what was happening to Esmerelda and now they had to deal with the unborn foetus's fate as well.

Ada couldn't even bring herself to reply yes or no because of the way the girls were looking at her, all she did was nod once before speaking gently to them again.

"Yes, the pregnancy will be terminated, they can't let it continue as it is dangerous and it will result in Esmerelda's death if they let it carry on, sadly there is nothing they can do" Ada told the girls looking at a spot on the wall not able to meet the girls eyes.

Sybil finally burst into tears, something she had been trying not to do since they had found Esmerelda on the floor but now she cried and cried and Ada cuddled her gently with a sigh glancing at Ethel.

Sat there stiffly was how she would describe the girl, but the expression she was wearing was one Ada had never seen in the young blonde before, she suddenly jumped up and took a deep breathe like Ada had done not long ago before she started to speak.

"I need to use the toilet" Ethel said before speed walking off, Ada tried to stop her as she walked past not thinking she should leave her alone.

"I hope she is alright" Ada commented still with her arm around Sybil who was still crying.

"She is going to cry, she doesn't like it when people see her cry so she does it in private" Sybil replied through her sobs.

Sybil was correct. Ethel rushed into the nearest toilets and into one of the cubicles before lowering the toilet seat and sitting on it as she let herself go and the tears fall before bursting into tears and putting her face in her hands as she sobbed to herself, safely away from prying eyes.


	11. Chapter 11 - Breaking Down

A/N: Enjoy. I do not own the Worst Witch or he characters.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

 **Breaking Down**

Ethel stayed in the toilets for a good half a hour just crying to herself away from the prying eyes, that is until she heard the familiar voice of her headmistress calling her and she stood up, wiped her eyes, took a deep breathe and then flushed the toilet and walked out the cubicle before going to the sink to wash her hands.

"Ethel..." Ada started to say knowing the girl was in a right state right now even if she was trying to hide it. Ethel kept her head down and washed her hands slowly but did not reply.

"You are allowed to be upset Ethel" Ada told the girl who put her hands under the hand dryer and Ada was sure it was so she could block out the sound of her voice.

Ada waited patiently for the dryer to go off and when it did she decided to try again with Ethel knowing her bottling her emotions up was doing more harm than good.

"Ethel, please talk to me" Ada told the young girl just as Sybil ran in.

"Esmie is out of surgery" Sybil told her sister and the headmistress. Ada smiled slightly happy the girl was okay but knowing she would be mentally scarred by this whole ordeal. Ethel followed Sybil out without a backwards glance to Ada but when they reached the waiting room so they could wait to go and see Esmerelda she saw that the blonde's eyes were so red she looked like she was suffering from a bad cold by the state she was in but Ada knew it wasn't the time to try get Ethel to talk about it so she sat down between the two sisters as they waited.

* * *

A young nurse came out the room after another half a hour, she smiled at the three of them slightly but looked upset as well, these type of things were clearly the times their job was hard.

"Can we see her yet?" Ethel asked before the woman even had time to open her mouth.

The nurse looked at the blonde girl and smiled sympathetically but nodded gently.

"She has just woken up, it might help her to see you though as she was asking after her sisters" the nurse told the girls. "Just give us a few more minutes to make sure everything is in place and then you can come in" the nurse said going back towards the door but Ada stopped her.

"Have you told Esmerelda what happened?" Ada asked hoping the nurses had done, Ada would never put it on Ethel or Sybil to tell their sister something like this so if she didn't know it would be down to her and she had given enough bad news today.

"Yes we told her as soon as she woke up, it is not fair to try and hide it" the nurse whispered back so the girls sitting down could not hear.

"And how is she?" Ada asked knowing it was a stupid question but still wanting to know. The nurse sighed but replied with one simple word.

"Traumatised" the nurse replied knowing it was the word that described the girls state. Ada looked over at her sisters wondering if it was wise to let them see her but she knew it would help Esmerelda to see them and even if it will be hard for them Ada couldn't stop the meeting forever so she nodded and went back to her seat as they waited for the nurse to come and tell them everything was ready for them to go and see her.

* * *

A few minutes later the nurse came out and told the three of them they could go in. Ada was not sure if she should go in or let the family be alone right now but she was the adult in charge of the blonde at this moment so she knew she had to make sure she was okay.

Walking in the room they found Esmerelda sitting up in the bed with various tubes coming out of her arm, the girl was not crying and did not appear upset but she did seem completely dazed. Ethel and Sybil walked to her gently and each took a seat on either side of the bed.

The girl shifted her brown eyes to look at them both as if seeing her sisters jolted her back to reality,neither Ethel or Sybil could act right now, they looked completely grim and neither of them knew what to say to their sister, what exactly could they say to her at that moment? Sybil who was naturally more quiet than Ethel looked down sadly so it was Ethel who broke the silence, but even Ethel who loved the sound of her own voice and normally spoke loudly and harshly could only stutter one word out.

"E..Esmie..." the blonde said not knowing what else she could say. Saying sorry would not help right now, nothing would help.

Esmerelda was worse than Ethel when it came to hiding her tears, even when she lost her magic to Agatha and realised Ethel had been involved in it the girl had not cried, not in public anyway and when Ada had been fired briefly when Agatha was pretending to be her the girl had held in her tears, as the eldest the girl was the one who did the comforting not the crying and her parents were strict on her and were trying to make her a strong person and had never being people to let her get away with tears but the girl was about to lose it this time, even if her headmistress was watching her.

When the eldest blonde heard her nickname that completely did it for her. Tears started to stream down her face slowly but still she was not crying properly, she was still silent. Ethel and Sybil saw Esmerelda and glanced at each other before moving so they were sitting up on the bed next to her. As Ethel and Sybil were so young and skinny it was not hard for the three of them to be able to fit on the single bed. Sybil leaned her chin on her sister's shoulder cuddling her and Ethel put her arm around the older girl, both girls who knew her better than anyone else in the world, knowing she was about to completely breakdown.

The two younger sisters were correct in their assumption because as soon as the girl felt her sisters hugging her she let her mask fall, she let her act crumble down and she burst into tears leaning her head on Ethel's shoulder gently as she sobbed.

It was a horrible thing to witness. Suddenly, Ethel and Sybil had taken on the role that Esmerelda usually had as she sobbed badly though Ada did think it was good that the girl was crying and not bottling it up, sadly the same could not be said for Ethel.

Ethel stroked her sister's hair as she cried and Sybil kept hugging her sister's arm even though she was shaking with sobs. Neither girl was shocked by this though. Esmerelda got attached to family quickly, it was instant for both Ethel and Sybil when they had been born. No matter how this baby had come about they both knew she had already fallen in love, that was Esmie all over and they both knew because of this the loss was incredibly painful for her.

The sisters sat like that for a good long while. Esmerelda sobbing and being hugged by her sisters as the other two sat in silence holding in their own tears, they couldn't break down too, not when Esmerelda was so upset and needed them to lean on right now. Eventually, Esmerelda's sobbing started to subside to sniffs instead though neither girl made any attempt to move. Ada knew then she had to leave them for a bit, she could tell they wanted to talk and she didn't want to intrude.

"I will just be outside I need to talk to Miss Hardbroom" the woman said making a excuse to leave and walking out the room, once she was gone Esmerelda spoke quietly.

* * *

"I am sorry..." the girl said with her head still on Ethel.

"What for?" Sybil asked her sister quietly.

"For not telling you...I was planning to before I left...and I am sorry for ruining our weekend" Esmerelda told her sisters clearly feeling a lot of guilt over it.

"Don't!" Ethel said with a sigh not liking that she was blaming herself for this.

"I was fooling myself into thinking I could keep the baby anyway, mum and dad would never have let me, and I would not be a good mother" Esmerelda said and Ethel and Sybil had to look at each other. She was acting oddly, Esmerelda never normally put herself down in this way, it was Ethel who did that.

"Don't be silly, you would have been the best, in fact no you are the best mother, I am sorry Esmie" Ethel told her sister who faked a small smile at that wondering if Ethel truly believed that.

Sybil had been fairly quiet this whole time but now that her sister was not upset she seemed unable to contain herself.

"Who is the father?" she asked her sister and Ethel gave her a look as to to tell her it was not the right time but she dropped her expression as she felt Esmerelda physically flinch at the question and Sybil must have felt it as well as she let go of her sister and looked shocked.

"Esmie..." Ethel asked looking at her concerned as she lifted her head up falling quiet again.

"Can we not talk about him? he isn't important" Esmerelda told her sisters wanting to get of the subject.

"Yes he is, he might want to know about this" Sybil replied in a childlike way not really understanding the awkwardness of the situation. Sybil really did not that much about sex or relationships anyway though she did know where babies came from.

"It was a party...we were both drunk...it was just a mistake...can we drop it now?" Esmerelda replied wanting them to stop asking questions about who he was so she made something up on the spot even if it did make her sound like she was, in a way, sleeping around.

"Did you want to do it with him?" Ethel asked feeling there was something wrong by her sister's vague answer. If it was only a party why was she being so defensive about it? It was as if talking about this was hard for Esmerelda but not because she was embarrassed, she was terrified in that moment, in fact neither girl had seen her so scared before, she was chewing on her nails and visually shaking.

"We were both drunk out of our minds, it happened, just drop it Ethel" Esmerelda replied not answering Ethel's question and raising her voice slightly. Ethel fell quiet at her tone and tried to forget the fact she had just basically told her it was not with her consent.

"Sorry Esmie" Sybil said looking down like she was about to cry again and Esmerelda dropped her harsh interior and softened.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to shout...I am fine honestly" Esmerelda said hugging her sisters before she dropped her hands touching her stomach, hissing in pain, still healing from the operation.

"Right you need to rest we will leave you" Ethel said jumping up and helping her sister to lie down so her face was on the pillows as Sybil did the same on the other side.

"I am sorry" Esmerelda said again feeling bad for shouting at them.

"Don't be, it isn't your fault you have been through a lot" Ethel said before kissing her head and smiling at her. Sybil kissed her head too and the three of them smiled at each other before there younger two left as Esmerelda was already drifting off.


	12. Chapter 12 - In Shock

A/N: Reviews would be appreciated

* * *

Chapter Twelve

 **In Shock**

Esmerelda fell asleep pretty much as soon as she lay down, she was still recovering from the anesthetic and was exhausted, Ethel and Sybil knew she needed to rest so gently started to leave the room and Ethel was just about to whisper her concerns to Sybil when their parents appeared, clearly they had just transferred themselves there.

Despite the fact they appeared behind Ethel and Sybil and they had to walk past them, neither parent spared a glance at their two younger girls, instead they started to walk towards Esmerelda who was sound asleep but this did not seem to put them off because once they were close enough to her they started to shake her awake.

"Don't" Ethel told her parents knowing her sister was still recovering from her operation and needed to rest.

"Wake up now!" her father shouted until he succeed in waking up his oldest daughter, the girl saw it was him and sat up quickly. Before she even had time to respond he grabbed her arm hard and started to shout at her.

"Stop it dad" Sybil said tears already falling out her eyes.

Ethel would have shouted at her father too but she was much more concerned with her sister's behaviour, she couldn't even meet his eye, she was looking everywhere but at her parents and she seemed to have frozen, the way Sybil did when she was scared.

"You are one stupid child, are you trying to make our family name slime?" her father shouted at her. Obviously her father already knew about the pregnancy so Esmerelda was not sure if he was yelling at her to put on a show and pretend he was clueless about it or because she had managed to reveal her secret to everyone because of her ill health.

"Who have you been screwing?" her father then yelled at her and when Esmerelda stayed silent he shook her harder. "I want a answer!" he shouted at her.

Ethel and Sybil did not like their father yelling in general but both of them could tell Esmerelda was scared right now so they rushed over.

"Dad leave her alone she isn't well" Ethel told her father wanting him to stop. He looked over and looked at Ethel as if he had just realised she was there but then he scoffed and kept shouting at his daughter.

"How do you think we felt when we got a call saying you had gotten yourself pregnant?" Mrs Hallow now shouted as Esmerelda avoided her gaze almost as if she was shying away from her.

Ethel and Sybil knew of course Esmerelda was probably embarrassed and scared about how much trouble she would be in because of course their parents were strict and something like this meant Esmerelda's parents would never let her live it down but the girl was acting so strangely, she was completely mute as if she was physically unable to answer them.

* * *

Luckily, Esmerelda did not have to suffer any longer because the shouting alerted the ward nurse and she rushed over and saw Mr and Mrs Hallow yelling at their daughter.

"Mr and Mrs Hallow please calm down, your daughter has just had a major operation she needs to rest" the woman told them, anger present in her voice.

"Oh you expect us to be okay with the fact our daughter got herself pregnant!?" Mrs Hallow asked the nurse who glared at her.

"Of course I don't, but there is a time and a place for this and it is not now, now if you do not calm yourselves down I will call security" the woman threatened them.

Mr Hallow finally let go of his daughter's arm and Ada, who had also being alerted to the shouting walked in at that moment.

"Mr and Mrs Hallow. I know this is a shock to you but will you control yourselves in front of your children" Ada told them darkly as she knew all three girls were being affected by their behaviour.

"Oh what are you going to do Cackle?" Mrs Hallow asked with a voice full of bitterness.

"I will tell the council about how you are treating your children" Ada replied in a threatening way,

"Don't threaten us!" Mr Hallow shouted now at her instead.

"I will do if you are upsetting my pupils, now either calm yourselves and stay or if you can't do that leave" Ada told them. The couple looked at each other and then disappeared in such a aggressive way they left smoke behind them.

Ada rushed over to Esmerelda needing to make sure the young blonde was okay after what had just happened.

"Are you alright Esmerelda?" Ada asked her but Esmerelda did not respond. She was completely shell shocked. She always got like this around her parents now and it took a long time to wear off. Ethel sat next to her gently.

* * *

"Esmie ...are you okay?" Ethel asked really concerned about her behaviour and she put her arm around her sister in a comforting way. It was only as she did that she could feel that she was shaking like mad, like she had being in cold water and was freezing cold.

"You are shaking" Ethel told her, her worries for her sister growing worse with every second.

Esmerelda still did not respond to this and Sybil sat at her other side also putting her arm around her trying to help to calm her down but it did not seem to be working, she was still shaking like mad even with both her sisters cuddling her.

"It is okay Esmie" Sybil told her sweetly but Esmerelda seemed to have not even heard her, she sat there shaking and was shocked to the point where it was almost as if she had forgotten about everything around her.

The nurse could tell the younger two girls were really worried and the older girl was obviously scared about something, she did not know what exactly but she suspected from the way her parents had been yelling at her that they could become quite violent, of course the woman was worried about the fact the girl might be suffering from physical abuse but she was not going to express her concerns unless she was sure, she would have to be sure in order to uproot all three sisters lives.

"Why don't we go back to school and let Esmerelda rest for a while mm?" Ada commented to the girls.

Both Ethel and Sybil did not look sure as if they were thinking against leaving her but the nurse stepped in turning professional.

"She is in good hands, we will look after her for you" the nurse told the young girls kindly as she stepped forward and started to move Esmerelda back onto the bed carefully so that she did not hurt her by touching her stitches. She lowered the shaking girl onto the bed so she was lying down but she was still shaking and her eyes were still wide as if she had not even noticed the change in her position.

"She is going to be okay isn't she?" Ethel asked seeing her sister was still in shock and biting her lip worried. The nurse smiled at her kindly.

"Of course she will be, after she has had a good sleep" the nurse told them and Ada touched the young girl's shoulders before starring to lead them out.

"We can come back later, let's let Esmerelda rest" Ada told them as she walked the girls forward not believing her own words.

From behind her them the nurse injected Esmerelda with a syringe trying to send the girl's body out of shock and when the shaking starting to subside the nurse waved her hand over the girl and she fell in to a deep sleep.

* * *

"Miss...I think something is wrong with Esmerelda" Ethel told her headteacher as they left the ward.

"She is fine Ethel she has just been through a lot this afternoon and her body needs time to recover from it" Ada told Ethel trying to reassure her pupil even if she did not believe the words herself, something was wrong. Teenagers were not sent into shock for no reason but she did not want to worry the girls anymore.

Ethel really did consider telling her headteacher about what she was sure her sister had accidently admitted earlier but she knew if she did so the whole thing would have to be investigated and Esmerelda had been through enough recently without people asking her questions and being forced into talking about whether she had consented to the sex at the party. Esmerelda was heavily grieving and it was not the time, if in a week or so Ethel was still worried about this she would then tell someone what had happened but she couldn't do it now, not when Esmerelda was already so ill.


	13. Chapter 13 - Rumours And Guilt

A/N: This is ImaginationOfAFan but I really hated that name so I decided to change it to Hallow Sisters On My Mind which I not only think suits my account better but I think it is a much more fresh name. This is my permanent name now so hopw you like it.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

 **Rumours and Guilt**

Esmerelda had to stay in the hospital for at least a week to recover from her operation and though she was physically healing it was clear she was mentally suffering badly. Ada let the sisters visit her everyday after lessons for one hour as she could read the worries on their faces and Ethel's behaviour was growing much worse.

When the young blonde had retuned the second day after visiting her sister, Mildred and her friends had asked after Esmerelda, as it had pretty much already got around the school what had happened to her, despite the fact there was loads of people around, Ethel could not keep her temper under control.

"Oh why do you care! "This is all your fault!" Ethel told the brunette with a voice full of bitterness and anger.

"How is it?" Mildred asked confused as to how it was anything to do with her.

"Oh just leave her for a bit" Ethel replied sarcastically mocking Mildred "If I had not listened to you and your stupid advice it might not have gotten this bad" Ethel replied shouting at the brunette.

"I don't.." Mildred started to say but Ethel was done. She walked past her bashing into her hard as she did so and walked off slamming the door behind her.

"Sorry Mildred, she is not coping well" Sybil admitted with a sigh as to her sisters behaviour.

* * *

Things always got around Cackle's very quickly. No-one really knew how half of this stuff was even discovered but it was and it flew around the school like lightening. Esmerelda's condition, her pregnancy, the lost of the baby, it had gotten around and it was being discussed by students, all curious as to what had happened.

It was currently lunchtime and Ethel was sat with her sister and Beatrice and Clarice as they all ate slowly, trying to force the food down. The girls sat at the table next to them were third years and their discussion today was about Esmerelda, they were trying to whisper, but the other table still heard.

"I wonder who the father is, maybe it is a non-wizard which is why she is keeping shut about it, you know how her family would be about that" one of the girls whispered, a ginger haired girl with curly hair.

"Or maybe he is on the council or something, you know her parents work for them, some of them are fairly young, it is possible" another girl replied, a girl with a brunette pixie cut.

"Even so, it doesn't really matter who it is, how did someone who is meant to be smart get herself pregnant?" the last girl asked flicking her brown plait over her shoulder as she did so.

"She has no powers remember, she can't of used a contraceptive spell obviously" the ginger haired girl replied, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious.

"Yes but the dude could have" the girl who had her hair in a plait replied.

"This is exactly why I think he was a non-wizard, I mean they probably had no idea how to use normal contraception, the ones non magic folk use are never very good anyway" the brunette with the pixie cut commented.

Sybil, Clarice and Beatrice were listening to the conversation but none of the eleven year olds knew to much about what was being said. Sybil knew her sister's name was being dragged through the mud but she did not understand the entire conversation because she knew the bare basics about sex. She looked down sadly into her bowl, falling silent as she knew everyone was talking about Esmie.

Ethel though, did understand what was being said and was becoming more furious with every single word that passed. She could not believe the way people were talking about Esmerelda. The girl had always being nothing but kind to all the pupils in the school, and had been helpful to them when they needed advice and now they were talking about her like she was sleeping with every guy that moved. As Ethel looked around the hall she saw people glance in her direction and then look back at their friends whispering, all talking about the same thing. Ethel's temper was even higher than normal and she was slowly losing her self control.

"Ignore them" Sybil told Ethel as she looked at her bowl of food and kept her head down squeezing her eyes shut trying to block it all out.

"I bet she isn't good, she never talks, she is probably the most boring person during sex" someone on Ethel's left said, now discussing the girl's whole sex life. Ethel was about to lose it, she flew up of her chair and knocked her bowl on the floor in anger before storming out of the hall. Mildred was sat on a table behind Ethel and the others and she stood up looking at the people who had been gossiping in anger.

"Oh well done, you should all be ashamed of yourselves" Mildred told the gossipers "You are discussing someone's child you know" Mildred told them angry herself that the students at Cackles were discussing something like this as if it was something like 'who kissed so and so in the broomshed'. This was much more than a stupid rumour, it was cruel and disgusting to be talking about it like this.

"Oh please it was a fetus not a baby" someone replied to Mildred meanly, clearly not ashamed about it. She was however correct, as after all Esmerelda was only a few weeks, the baby would not have developed much yet.

"You don't stop being a mother if your 'fetus' dies you know, try and be more sensitive" Mildred replied as she got up and walked out of the hall, to go and find Ethel.

* * *

Mildred looked in all the usual places she thought the girl would be, the library, her bedroom, the school grounds but she couldn't find her anywhere. Mildred was just wondering where to look next when she walked past the chanting classroom and saw Ethel sitting on a table looking out the window. As it was lunchtime no teachers were about so the girl clearly thought she was safe here. Mildred walked into the classroom gently, she was worried the girl was going to yell her head off at her. Her temper the last few days had being an all time high after all.

"Ethel" Mildred said gently. Ethel turned around from where she was sat and looked at Mildred, tears flowing out of her eyes and making no attempt to hide them, Mildred knew then the girl had finally reached her breaking point, she didn't care who saw her crying now. Ethel turned away from Mildred and Mildred took that as a sign she didn't care if she stayed so she walked over to Ethel and sat on the desk next to her.

"Them girls are horrible, don't worry I told them to stop talking" Mildred told Ethel telling her what she had told the girls who had being talking about Esmerelda, Ethel though seemed not to hear her as she spoke about something completely different.

"It is all my fault" Ethel said sobbing gently as she did so.

"What is your fault?" Mildred asked her not understanding what Ethel meant.

"The baby...she tried to tell me...I didn't know what she meant...I was more concerned...she was covered in blood...I didn't listen..." Ethel said putting her face in her hands and crying. Clearly she felt guilty about this whole thing. Mildred knew Ethel had things to feel guilty for, Esmie's absent powers for example but this time, it was not her fault, even if she had known what Esmerelda meant she would not have been able to do anything.

"Ethel..it is not your fault, she would have lost it either way, my mum is a nurse and I asked her about ectopic pregnancies when I found out, because I had never heard of them before, she told me they have to end the pregnancy in every case regardless because anywise the mother will die" Mildred told Ethel trying to reassure her this was nothing to do with her. Ethel continued to cry more and Mildred felt bad then. She thought people had forgotten yes it was Esmerelda's child but Ethel was the auntie, grieving should not be tied down to one person, family came with grieving but people were acting like Ethel and Sybil should not be sad about it.

"It really wasn't your fault Ethel, even before she came to school she had no chance of keeping it, that is the harsh reality" Mildred told Ethel wrapping her arm around the girl who kept crying, which was properly good as she had being holding it in for days.

"Sybil is right, our family is cursed" Ethel cried in response to what Mildred said.

"No...Esmerelda was just incredibly unlucky" Mildred replied not believing the cursed story, even if the girls luck recently had been really bad.

"I overheard the nurses talking, do you know what the chances you have of a ectopic pregnancy occurring?" She asked Mildred who shock her head "1%" Ethel replied as she sobbed "My sister has more chance of being hit by a car, twice in the same day than she does of having a ectopic pregnancy, let us just face facts, we are cursed" Ethel told Mildred sadly her sobbing subsiding a little now though.

"Well if you are cursed moping about it won't help, you just have to carry on" Mildred told Ethel logically.

"What until the next thing happens?" "I can hardly wait" Ethel replied before pausing. "Do you think her losing her powers increased her chances of it happening?" Ethel asked Mildred and the brunette shook her head.

"How can it? What has magic got to do with getting pregnant, her child wouldn't have had powers probably, but I don't see what else it would affect" Mildred told the young girl who sighed.

"Stop blaming yourself Ethel, this is not your fault!" Mildred told Ethel with a sigh as Ethel looked at the floor tears streaming down her face and Mildred knew Ethel was taking this whole thing hard, she had never seen her look so lost.


	14. Chapter 14 - Magical Oath

A/N: Thank you to the stargate time traveler for giving me permission for letting me use the idea of the magical oath they used in their Pentangles story.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

 **Magical Oath**

Esmerelda was in the hospital for exactly a week recovering from her operation but today she had to return home, she walked into her bedroom slowly, hissing in pain a little as her stitches were still sore and wished she could have somehow got out of going home, but if she had refused to go home, the staff, and her sisters, would have asked why. Esmerelda sat on her bed and put her head in her hands, her head was hurting from the amount she had stressed that morning.

The thing was Esmerelda had finally hit rock bottom, the girl was always quiet and did not talk much to other people anyway but now she had become mute in a way, Ethel and Sybil mirrored her as soon as they could that day to check in on her and although she could hear them she couldn't take in what they were saying and she couldn't respond.

"Esmie?,are you listening to us?" Sybil asked her but Esmerelda was acting strangely.

She was sitting on her bed, clearly wide awake and staring straight ahead but she was making no response or moving of any kind, the only thing she was doing was blinking but that was it. She was acting like she was in a daydream and had zoned out of what was going on, only daydreaming lasts a few seconds or minutes, Esmerelda did not move once as her sisters spoke to her.

"Esmerelda I have being expelled" Ethel lied trying to get some response from her sister, knowing her sister would normally be really upset over that but there was nothing, just a blank stare.

"Esmie...please talk to us?" Ethel replied with a sigh. When she didn't Ethel knew something was wrong with her, she could be mad at them sure but would she not just end the call if she was? And she was acting like a statue, like she couldn't move and was paralysed in that position.

Ethel and Sybil looked at each other both expressing their concerns through their expressions, this was not right, something was wrong with Esmerelda. She was acting like she was catatonic, both younger girls knew their sister of course was traumatised by what had happened to her but nethier of them expected her to go so far downhill. Ethel and Sybil tried for a while longer and when they realised it had been ten minutes without any response from her they knew this was pointless.

"We will leave you for a bit Esmie, hopefully you feel better soon" Sybil told her sister biting her lip really worried about her. Ethel ended the call and Esmerelda made no reaction to this.

* * *

Esmerelda continued to sit in this position and did not even make any move when she heard her bedroom door open, normally at that sound she would be looking for the nearest escape route but today she physically couldn't move.

"Esmerelda I am talking to you!" her mother told her clearly growing annoyed at her daughter's lack of communication as she had been talking to her for a few minutes.

"Well it makes it easier for us" her father told his wife with a shrug as she looked at him for help. He started to lie Esmerelda down and it was like the girl had turned into a zombie, she let him move her not making any attempt yo move her body herself. She lay in the position he put her still not moving and stayed like that even as he used the spell that vanished her clothes, she didn't even notice.

As he lay on top of her however her catatonic episode finally ended and she found she was able to twitch her body again and talk. She felt his weight on her and pushed him weakly, as if she had forgotten how to move her muscles when she was zoned out.

"No...I am still healing" she told him as she pushed him more.

"I don't care, you have not being punished in weeks" he told his daughter as if she somehow deserved this even though she had gave her powers away months ago but something sparked in Esmerelda as he said that. He had ruined her life so much already, she had to be strong and stop this, she couldn't let it carry on anymore. She gulped and gathered up all her courage, still terrified of the man, before she spoke.

"You will not touch me again father" she told him and the man laughed as she said that before turning back to her.

"Oh really, what do you plan to do to stop me?" he asked his daughter.

"I will tell the council, or the police" Esmerelda replied in reponse, her father though did not seem worried.

"You wouldn't do that, you wouldn't risk losing your sisters by going into care" her father told her clearly not buying her act at all.

"Try me" Esmerelda told him glaring at him angrily. Her father looked at her and realised she was serious so he stood up getting of her before he spoke.

"Alright fine then, we can end your punishment" her father told her.

"Really?" Esmerelda asked knowing there was a catch to this.

"Yes, if you don't want to accept your punishment I will just have to punish Ethel or Sybil instead, I will tell them it is your fault, that you were not accepting your punishment" her father told his daughter, suppressing a smirk.

* * *

Esmerelda lay on her bed staring at him as she took in what he had said. He was saying that she could be spared having to endure the rapes again but then he would be taking Ethel or Sybil instead and Esmerelda felt sick, they were both so young, she couldn't let this happen, they would have no life left anymore, she didn't think for longer than a second before she replied.

"NO!" Esmerelda shouted tears running down her face "You wouldn't!" Esmerelda commented thinking about the fact they were eleven and twelve and he would spare them.

"Wouldn't I?" he commented, clearly he was serious.

"Please no, NO!" Esmerelda shouted at him.

"You are refusing your punishment, so I have to put it on someone else instead" he told his daughter and Esmerelda knew he would do it happily. After everything he had done to her, he would not care less.

"Alright just punish me, leave my sisters alone" Esmerelda told him. Her father shrugged then and looked at her.

"I might do, I might not, we will have to see won't we?" he commented as if telling Esmerelda she could do nothing to stop what he was planning or what he wanted to do.

"Please I beg you...I will be good just leave them alone" Esmerelda told him knowing he was loving this, seeing her suffer so much. "I will make you a deal" Esmerelda said knowing her father was the type who liked to bet and make deals with people if it benefited him.

"What deal?" he asked her. He had to admit he was interested in what she had to say.

"You can have me...you can do what you want to me..but you have to make a magical oath you won't touch Ethel or Sybil...if you don't accept this deal...I am going to tell Ethel and Sybil everything, and the council" Esmerelda told him and her father looked at his wife for a moment as Esmerelda just prayed he would accept this deal, she needed her girls to be safe.

"You have to do what I say without any questions" her father replied extending the deal. Even though Esmerelda felt sick at the thought of basically becoming her father's sex slave she knew it was the only way, this way only one life was ruined instead of three.

"Alright deal, make the oath, and don't try and trick me or I will tell everyone, I am serious" Esmerelda told him and he nodded and seemed to accept it. He liked having her under his control.

* * *

Her father put his right hand on his chest and lifted his left hand as he looked at his daughter before starting to speak.

"I herby swear my life on the witches code, I swear to stay away from my daughters Ethel and Sybil Hallow and not do anything to assault them, whether it be physically or sexually..." her father started.

"And you will not go closer than five feet to them" Esmerelda told him, not wanting him to find a way to still hurt them, with this inclusion if he goes to close to the girls he would instantly of broken his oath.

"I will not go within four feet of the girls" he said taking away a foot just to ignore Esmerelda "This I swear on my life's blood, so let it be now, let this oath be made" Mr Hallow said and his body glowed red for a few seconds meaning the oath had being accepted and so that was that.

If Mr Hallow broke the oath he would die as is what happens to the people who take the oath and then break it, Esmerelda knew he valued his precious live to much for that to happen so she knew he wouldn't break it. He smirked at her, he still had her under his control and now even more so.

Esmerelda sighed as he climbed back on top of her, trying not to fuss, knowing she had accepted this after all. Luckily for the girl, she went back into a catatonic episode in that moment, so at least she was not really aware what was happening as she was raped again. She also no longer had to worry about pregnancy, the nurses at the hospital had giving her contraception, the pill to be precise, so at least she did not have to worry about that again. She didn't know how she would cope if she lost another child.

That is why Esmerelda did not have to much time to dwell on the fact he now practically owned her and there was nothing she could do about it.


	15. Chapter 15 - Rock Bottom

A/N: Chapter rated M for mentions of self-harm

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

 **Rock Bottom**

Esmerelda's problems with zoning out seemed to be getting much worse as the week went on. When she first returned home from the hospital she was having catatonic attacks everyday but they normally lasted at most about half an hour but now they were lasting longer.

It had been exactly two weeks since the girl had returned home and since her father had made the oath. Since things had grown worse for the girl, her attacks were lasting for hours. It was true she actually started to rely on the attacks when her father was abusing her because she was so zoned out she didn't know what was going on but as much as she loved that Ethel and Sybil were growing upset at her lack of communication to them.

It was not her fault. She wasn't in control of herself, as much as she wanted to talk to Ethel and Sybil most of the time she couldn't. When she was not having an attack she tried to talk to them, but she normally felt quite dazed after her attack so she was normally quiet and short with her responses.

* * *

"Esmerelda...we know you are upset about what happened" Ethel started to speak that day when her sister was barely talking again "but we love you and don't like seeing you like this, please talk to us" Ethel told her with a sigh.

"I am fine Ethie...I am just tired that is all...I haven't being sleeping well since the operation" Esmerelda replied trying to stop her sisters from becoming suspicious.

"Esmie…." Sybil said before pausing, clearly second guessing what she wanted to say as if trying to decide if it was a good idea. "I know you are upset about….the baby…...we are too….but blocking us out won't help" Sybil told her logically, knowing she needed their support right now after what she had been through.

At the mention of the baby Esmerelda felt her chest hurt. It still hurt her to think about her child, even if she had barely gotten to know it. She bit her lip trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall down her face.

"Esmie….don't cry….we didn't want you to get upset" Ethel commented. Ethel knew her sister like she was a book and when she bit her lip like that she was trying to hold back her tears.

"I am fine honest….I know you are trying to help" Esmie replied as she wiped at her wet eyes but she couldn't stop it. She burst into tears and Ethel glared at Sybil for being stupid enough to talk about the baby when it was so fresh still. Sybil looked away feeling awful for making her big sister cry.

"I am sorry Esmie...don't cry...I didn't mean to bring it all back" Sybil told her sister but Esmerelda shook her head crying more as her sister spoke to her sweetly.

"It is not your fault….I just keep...thinking about it…..I am so stupid….." Esmerelda replied as she looked at her sisters letting the tears stream down her face.

Now that they had her talking Ethel knew she couldn't let this opportunity past, she had to find out how Esmerelda was feeling.

"Hey it is not your fault what happened, you did nothing wrong at all" Ethel told her sister knowing her sister should not feel guilty about the miscarriage, she couldn't of done anything.

"Maybe if I had told you about the situation it would have been okay...maybe I would have saved them" Esmerelda replied, clearly she had been going over this in her head thinking what she could have done to save her child.

"No you wouldn't off, ectopic pregnancies can not be saved Esmie" Ethel replied with a sigh as her sister blamed herself.

"I have no idea why you two are being nice to me...I am disgusting for even getting myself pregnant, I am a slut..." Esmerelda replied insulting herself. She really did believe this now, she knew it was her father who was attacking her and that it was wrong but she couldn't help it. She felt like she was disgusting and dirty and that it was her fault what was happening as she was a slag that couldn't stop sleeping around.

"Don't talk about yourself like that!" Sybil replied, her eyebrows low with anger as her sister insulted herself. "You are no such thing, and even if you were we will still love you, you're our sister after all" Sybil told her, needing her to understand neither of them loved her less or felt bad about her because she had gotten pregnant.

"She is right Esmie, stop putting yourself down you are amazing, and it is a shame about what happened, the baby would have been so lucky to have you as their mother, you already are the best mother to Sybil and I" Ethel replied and Esmie forced a smile at her sister's words not believing them but glad she had said them.

"She is right Esmie, you are the best mother" Sybil said beaming at her but Esmerelda in that moment went into a catatonic state and totally froze.

Her eyes opened and red, her cheeks stained with tears and her body stiff like a board. The girl stared forward only blinking as she became unaware of her surroundings. Ethel and Sybil looked at each other realising they had just lost her again.

"Esmerelda?" Sybil said trying desperately to break her sister out of her trance.

"Esmie?" Ethel then said, trying to break her sister out of her daydream as well but it was clear she was long gone and Sybil sighed.

"Come on Ethel….we best go" she said logically knowing Esmerelda was not going to be talking to them again anytime soon. Ethel nodded sadly and ended the call, leaving Esmerelda to herself.

* * *

Esmerelda knew that her episodes were starting to become a huge problem. Most of the day she was zoned out and it was not like she could even force herself to do something about it, her body just would not move, she didn't feel like she was there, it was like she had left and was somewhere else where she couldn't function anymore. It upset her as well that she could not speak to Ethel and Sybil, she didn't want them to think she was upset or angry at them, but she didn't know what to do to stop these episodes.

Also, because the girl was spending some much time sitting in one position and not moving, she was starting to experience back pain and various other muscle pains from her body not moving for so long and she knew it was not good as a fourteen year old to be experiencing such pain and it could affect her when she was older, but really there was nothing she could do.

Esmerelda sat in that position for over a half and an hour, not able to move her body, almost as if her father had just used his favourite paralysis spell on her. She sat like this even as her parents entered her room and her father abused her again, she was grateful though she was having an episode at the time, she didn't notice what was happening.

Even as her father threw the covers over her naked body she didn't move, she stayed where he had left her for a long time, and it was hours later that she finally came out of her episode. She came back to reality, feeling confused as she realised she was under the covers naked but then she obviously remembered what must have happened so she sighed and stood up to get dressed and as she did so it was only then she caught a sight of the time on the clock on her beside table.

Ethel and Sybil had mirrored Esmerelda after lessons so it must have been around four in the evening and it was now two in the morning of the next day! Esmerelda had spent eleven hours zoned out and unaware of what was going on. Her stomach rumbled as she had not ate in hours and it was still dark outside as it was so early, and it was still winter in England at the time so it was even darker.

The girl was not stupid enough to go down to the kitchen for food and risk getting caught, she didn't want to give her father another reason to punish her after all, so after she put her pyjama on she climbed back into bed trying to sleep as it was really early.

* * *

Sleeping though had become a nightmare for the girl too. She was always distressed and either had nightmares about her parents or of her lost child, she had not slept properly in many months and had to force herself to sleep most nights, normally she slept for one hour, two if she was lucky, at a time before she woke up drenched in sweat feeling her father's weight on her from her nightmares.

The girl was ashamed to admit she had also started to self harm too, she had only started to do this when she had gotten back from the hospital finding she was unable to cope with her daily life anymore, sometimes she thought about suicide but Ethel and Sybil needed her so she had to be brave and at least keep herself alive.

The youngster lay in bed for half an hour trying her best to go of to sleep but she knew it was hopeless as she was not even remotely tired, instead she reached over to her bedside table and picked up the pair of nail scissors on there before rolling up her sleeve and cutting down her arm, feeling like the dirt was coming out of her as she bleed out.

Esmerelda had finally at this point reached her breaking point, she was at complete rock bottom and was getting worse by the day as her abuse continued and she was not sure how much longer she could cope with hiding her horrible secret.

The girl placed her hand on her stomach, forgetting her baby was no longer there which she sometimes forgot when she was zoned out a long time. It was as she felt the bumps of the sistches on her stomach she remembered and she started to sob to herself, as she had started to do mostly every night.


	16. Chapter 16 - A Happy Day

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Chapter Sixteen

 **A Happy Day**

Ethel and Sybil came out of the mirror room both really upset and this was starting to happen every time they left the room as they knew they were slowly losing Esmerelda. Today, when they came out the room Miss Cackle was there waiting for them and Clarice and Beatrice looked at them guilty.

"Sorry we were really worried, we didn't know what else to do" Clarice told the sisters hoping they were not angry at her and Beatrice.

"It is okay...thanks" Sybil replied wiping her tears away. Ada transferred both girls away knowing she needed to talk to both girls.

"Is everything alright?" she asked the girls. Ethel fell silent as her teacher spoke to her, she always got really quiet when she was upset so it was Sybil who replied.

"We are worried about Esmerelda, she isn't talking to us and she keeps going into a trance" Sybil told her headteacher. Ada was concerned about the girl especially after what happened to her and thought it might be wise to see the girl in person. Right now she needed to be around people who loved her and Mr and Mrs Hallow were not them people, they were cold.

"We think she might be catatonic" Ethel then replied in a much quieter tone than normal. Ada become even more worried as she heard that and called for Hecate who appeared a second later.

"Can you bring Esmerelda here?" Ada asked the woman and the dark haired woman nodded not asking why she wanted to see her, just doing what was asked of her.

* * *

Esmerelda was sitting in her bedroom in the Hallow mansion reading a new book she had gotten from the library when she felt herself being transferred and she landed on the floor face first from the pressure of being transferred and the shock of it. Ethel and Sybil rushed over to her and helped her up, thankful to find she was supporting her weight so did not seem to be in the middle of an attack right now.

"Is everything okay Miss Cackle?" Esmerelda asked her headteacher as Ethel and Sybil threw their arms around her, cuddling her.

"We have been so worried, do you not love us anymore?" Sybil asked her sister, looking at her with her tear filled blue eyes.

"You have been blanking us, are you angry?" Ethel then asked clearly thinking she was really angry about what had happened a few weeks ago. Esmerelda was glad she was not in the middle of an attack anywise she would of being zoned out, not responded and upset them more, but luckily she was able to reply.

"Don't be silly, of course I still love my Ethie and Sybie" she told her sisters affectionately as she cuddled her sisters more. "I am sorry I made you think I didn't, I have wanted to talk to you but I have found I wasn't able to" Esmerelda admitted, telling them the reason she has not being talking to them properly the last few weeks.

"Are you catatonic?" Ethel asked her sister as she really suspected she was but even Esmerelda was not sure what was wrong with her.

"It is possible, I honestly don't know what is wrong" Esmerelda replied in response to Ethel as both girls cuddled into her.

"I think it might be wise for you to see a doctor Esmerelda" Miss Cackle told the girl not knowing if she was catatonic but knowing something was off with the girl and she should really be checked out.

Esmerelda though was worried about how much they would look into this. Would they discover about the rapes? She was terrified of the thought so she quickly thought of something to get out of it.

"I have already being, just waiting to find out what the problem is from the tests, I was going to tell my sisters when I knew for sure" Esmerelda lied, needing to get out of being medically checked over at all costs.

Miss Cackle was not sure if she was telling the truth but she couldn't force it on the girl. Ethel and Sybil though seemed to accept it, but the girl was a Hallow, she could just be a good liar.

"Miss can Esmie stay for the weekend as our last visit didn't go well?" Ethel asked her teacher, not wanting her sister to have to leave yet and Sybil nodded wanting her to stay too.

There was nothing special about this weekend and all three girls had being through a lot recently, especially Esmerelda, and Ada could think of no better therapy than the girl spending time with her favourite people.

"Do you want to stay Esmerelda?" Ada asked her wanting to see if she actually wanted to.

A whole weekend away from the hellhole she called home and just her and her sisters? Why would she say no?

"Yes please" Esmerelda said with a smile and Ada nodded.

"Alright you may stay" Ada told her kindly and all three girls cheered and then left to spend their time together.

* * *

"And I have being practising for the talent show" Ethel told her sister with a smile as they walked down the corridor, all three talking.

"Aww what are you going to do? Go stand on the stage and smile? You will definitely win when they see how adorable you are" Esmerelda told her sister lovingly and Ethel laughed.

"Well I know I am adorable, but no I was thinking of maybe doing a bit more than smiling and waving but it is a surprise" Ethel told her sister who rolled her eyes.

"Can't wait to see it Ethie" Esmerelda told her stroking her hair

"You will watch?" Ethel asked her happily

"Wouldn't miss it for anything" she told Ethel who beamed at her as she turned her gaze to Sybil.

"What about you Sybie? Are you going to enter?" Esmerelda asked her sister who shook her head.

"No way, I would be way to shy to get up there by myself" Sybil replied, seeming scared at the very thought of it.

"You could do something with your friends" Esmie told her, dreaming about watching both her sisters show their talents off.

"Mmm I will think about it" Sybil replied, not keen on the idea.

* * *

The sisters spent a good few hours just talking and catching up in Ethel's room. They played a few board games and enjoyed their quality time together, chatting and messing with each other. Esmerelda felt happier than she had in months and she realised her attacks today seemed non-existent as she was having to much fun. The girls played some ball games and silly games like tag until they were so out of breathe they had to stop.

Ethel and Sybil were so happy Esmie seemed okay now, though neither of them mentioned anything that had happened recently, wanting their sister to stay in her happy mood and have fun with them and Esmerelda was perfectly fine, in fact better than fine as she spent time with her two most favourite people in the universe.

Esmie was in such a good mood even having to eat the slop that Cackles called food could not lower her spirits and she happily forced her lumpy soup down as she sat with her sisters.

"I had forgotten how bad it tastes" Esmerelda told her sisters as she pulled a face of disgust and drank some water from her cup to wash down the horrible taste.

"Wish we could forget as well" Ethel replied eating some of the food as her and her sisters laughed.

However, Esmie could just sense people were looking at her. Ethel and Sybil had not told her about the rumours, not wanting to upset her but as she looked around the hall now people were laughing and pointing to her as they whispered. She took a deep breathe telling herself to ignore them.

"Hey Esmerelda" a dark haired girl with beady eyes said from the table across. Esmerelda looked up at her wearing a look of annoyance.

* * *

"I heard a Pentangles boy is visiting tomorrow with Miss Pentangle, quick you better get there before he has a chance to move, or you might miss getting some action!" the girl said as her friends around her laughed. Ethel stood up and started to yell at the girl.

"Shut your face, you know nothing about my sister" Ethel told the girl.

"Oh is that your sister? I almost didn't recognise her with clothes on" one of the friends of the first girl who insulted Esmerelda said. Esmerelda suddenly jumped up and stormed out of the room, feeling her good mood dampening.

"Ooo" the girls chorused as they giggled.

Sybil had to physically restrain Ethel from attacking the girls then as she was trying to slap them. As she was younger and weaker, Mildred and co had to help her restrain Ethel and it took a long time to calm her down and once she was calm she left the hall, Sybil behind her, to search for Esmie.


	17. Chapter 17 - Slip Of The Tongue

A/N: Warning for upsetting scenes.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

 **Slip Of The Tongue**

Esmerelda ran out of the hall, ashamed at herself for allowing the comments to get to her, she knew people would gossip but she thought she could deal with it, maybe it had something to do with the fact she believed what they were saying and that is why it hurt her so much but all she knew was that she took of running and didn't stop until she was far far away from the hall and the girl only stopped as she was out of breathe, Miss Drill would be proud if she saw her right now!

The girl breathed heavily as she tried to catch her breathe from all the running she had just done and slowly started to make her way down the corridor, not paying to much attention to where she was actually going, she wiped at her eyes as the comments the girls had said in the hall rang in her ears, struggling to block out the cruel words she knew were true.

After the girl had regained her breath enough and she was no longer panting, she leaned against the wall just needing some time to clear her head. She had been happy up until then, she was with her sisters for the whole weekend, she had to cheer up, and she would do, she just needed just a few minutes to herself.

As it was lunchtime the hallway she was in was deadly quiet and she realised she was near to the chanting classroom, which was on the other side of the school from the hall so she would be safe here for a while, it would take Ethel and Sybil a while to find her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.

That is why she jumped when she heard footsteps, she had not expected anyone to be down here right now but she suspected it was only Miss Bat, who wouldn't ask her to many questions thankfully. She forced her face into a smile, preparing to greet Miss Bat but her smile dropped as she saw who was walking towards her.

* * *

It was Mr Rowan-Webb, the only male teacher in the school and indeed the only male in the school. Esmerelda actually liked Mr Rowan-Webb he was a great teacher and really kind to the students in his care, Esmerelda had always got on well with the male teacher but right now as he walked towards her all she felt was fear at being alone in a corridor with him, she considered running but he would wonder why and it would look weird so she took a deep breathe, preparing herself for him coming close to her.

He got closer to her and spotted her and smiled at her kindly, until he noticed the look on her face and he became concerned for her. He walked towards her so he was facing her, seeing she looked...he couldn't quite place how she looked, but she didn't seem like she was okay in that moment.

"Esmerelda are you alright?" the teacher asked her kindly, concerned there was something the matter with the girl.

"Y...yes sir..." Esmerelda told him as she looked down trying to stop herself from panicking but it was not going to well, she was shaking.

"Are you sure? "You don't seem it" he told her his concern for her growing worse by the second.

Algernon had of course heard what had happened to the girl with the pregnancy and everything and Miss Cackle had told the staff that morning the girl was staying for the weekend but she was still suffering from what had happened to her a few weeks ago and told them to keep an eye on her.

"Yes I am fine….h...honest sir" the girl said as she started to gently cry in fear as he spoke to her. She knew she was being silly. Mr Rowan-Webb was not her father and would never rape anybody, but she couldn't help it, she was still terrified of him.

Algernon had never even seen the girl cry personally before. He knew she had being having a tough time as of late so it was understandable but she was acting really strangely in that moment and he didn't want to leave her in that state.

* * *

"Would you like to come and talk about it?" Mr Rowan-Webb offered, thinking it might be wise for the young blonde to at least talk to someone.

"N...n...no" Esmerelda replied openly crying now. Her teacher knew he should leave it, he shouldn't push her but he couldn't leave her down the corridor by herself when she was so upset so he thought it might be wise to go find Ethel and Sybil.

"Why don't we go and find your sisters?" he suggested as he put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. As a male teacher working with young girls he could not do anything more than that or students might start feeling uncomfortable.

That tiny kind gesture had a huge reaction in Esmerelda. Her breathing rate increased as did the shaking of her body. She sobbed openly now and tried to back away from him more.

"NO" the girl shouted scared of what he was planning to do to her.

Algernon saw her discomfort and immediately removed his hand from her, though if he had being worried before it was nothing to how he felt now.

"Esmerelda..." he said not stepping closer to her, he could sense her fear.

"No please don't…." Esmerelda said through her sobs not seeming even to realise he had removed his hand from her shoulder and not seeming to be able to stop herself from what she was saying.

"Don't what?" he asked her not understanding where she was going with this. He did make sure to keep his distance though.

"Don't do it...I am sorry …." the girl replied sobbing as she leaned against the wall.

"Sorry Esmerelda I don't understand, what do you mean don't do it, don't do what exactly?" he asked her trying to get more information from the pupil.

"Don't rape me..." the girl chocked out quietly before sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor curling herself into a ball as she sobbed.

She might of said it quietly, but Algernon heard as clear as day what she had said and he was in absolute shock. It was not a normal thing to come out with, unless it had happened to the girl previously and now she was afraid it would again. Algernon knew no-one knew about this, people had wondered about the girls odd behaviour lately but no-one had come to any conclusions. Probably because this is a horrible conclusion to come to.

* * *

Algernon knew he had to get help. This was not the girl saying someone had poured a drink on her or something stupid like that, this was the girl saying someone had raped her. As a male teacher, and as Esmerelda was terrified of him, which he told himself now made perfect sense, he couldn't do anything himself. He didn't want to leave the girl but he had no choice and he transferred himself outside Ada's office and rushed in without knocking.

"Mr Rowan- Webb have you ever heard of knocking?" Miss Hardbroom asked angrily. She had been in the office talking to Ada when the man had ran in. He ignored her knowing this was important.

"Ada you need to come now" he told her as seriously as he could.

"Why what has happened?" the woman asked trying to remember a time she had seen the man look so panic stricken. She couldn't recall a time.

"It's Esmerelda Hallow she just..." the man said wondering if he should just come out and say it.

"She just what Mr Rowan-Webb?" Hecate asked him raising her eyebrows, losing patience with him.

Algernon sighed knowing he just had to come out with it, there was no other way around it, he had to make sure Ada and Hecate understood this properly.

"She just asked me not to rape her" Algernon came out, saying it bluntly. He knew he couldn't beat around the bush with it, he had to explain properly so the women understood how serious this was.

"What!?" Ada asked her mouth opened.

"What did you do?" Hecate asked him wondering how he upset the girl so much she came out with that.

"Nothing!, she was upset so I was talking to her trying to find out why she was upset, she was acting funny as soon as she saw me and then she just came out with it" Algernon told the two adults, hoping this did not turn into an investigation about whether he was professional with the girl or not. Thankfully, Ada seemed more concerned about what had been said.

"Why on earth would she say something like that?" the woman said out loud, not understanding why the girl would say something like that, it made no sense.

"Exactly why I came here Ada, the only people who would come out with something like that is someone who has had it happen to them before" Algeernon told the female teachers logically who both stared at him in shock, as that realisation dawned on them too. Someone had attacked the girl before.


	18. Chapter 18 - The Truth

A/N: One hour!

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

 **The Truth**

Ada and Hecate rushed to the chanting corridor and found Esmerelda and they quickly transferred away to Ada's office and led her over to one of the comfy chairs in there, Ada sat next to her and started to speak.

"Mr Rowan-Webb is concerned, why did you ask him not to rape you" Ada asked getting right to the point. The blonde played with her hands starting at them trying to think of an excuse on the spot.

"I didn't miss…..he must have misheard" Esmerelda replied denying it.

"Oh really...what was it you said then?" Ada asked the girl and Esmerelda racked her brain for a word that rhymed with rape.

"I said I got pushed….in the lake" Esmerelda lied knowing it was a rubbish excuse but hoping they brought it.

"Oh really? "Who by?" Ada asked the girl knowing she was lying and she was not even good at lying like her sisters.

"Erm….I didn't see them, they pushed me from behind" Esmerelda went on trying to make the lie more believable but Ada still found a problem with her story.

"So you got pushed in the lake and then came back inside straight away?" Ada asked her and Esmerelda nodded in response.

"Yes Miss" Esmerelda replied.

"So how did you dry of so quick?" Ada asked the girl knowing she was about to catch her out and Esmerelda realised she couldn't say a drying spell….she had no magic after all.

Ada sighed and looked at the girl concerned before she kept talking "Esmerelda we can help you but you need to tell us the truth" Ada told the girl "Did someone attack you?" Ada asked having a feeling her question was going to go unanswered.

Ada was right. Esmerelda fell silent in that moment and didn't attempt to lie her way out of it anymore.

"Esmerelda, I don't know what they told you but it is not your fault and we can make sure whoever hurt you is punished, can you tell us who it was?" Ada asked the girl but all the girl did was blink as she stared forward and Ada was not sure anymore if the girl had entered a catatonic state or she was just refusing to talk.

Ada stood up and walked over to Hecate giving the girl time knowing it was difficult for her to talk about this. She hoped if they left her a while she could get something out of her and Ada and Hecate made sure not to talk about this to each other, Esmerelda might close of more if they did.

* * *

After Ada had left the girl for ten minutes to herself she walked back over to her, hoping she was more willing to talk now.

"Esmerelda can you tell us who attacked you?" Ada tried again not wanting to scare her off more by using the word rape but it was no good. Esmerelda totally ignored her and Ada sighed and walked back to Hecate this time they whispered to each other as they knew they were getting nowhere.

"What are we going to do headmistress?" Hecate asked the woman concerned.

"There is nothing much we can do Hecate, we can't force her to talk" Ada replied with a sigh. "Go and find Ethel and Sybil" Ada suggested thinking it might help her.

"But won't she close down more with them, I mean she wouldn't want them to hear about it would she?" Hecate replied thinking it would only make things worse.

"We have to try it Hecate, she might be more inclined to talk with people she is comfortable around" Ada told Hecate who nodded then asked her something.

"Should I tell them why I am bringing them here?" Hecate asked the woman

"I will leave that up to you Hecate, they will have to be told regardless" Ada sighed and Hecate nodded and disappeared.

* * *

"Esmie" Ethel said as her and Sybil looked for their sister wondering where on earth she was and cursing the school for being such a maze, it could take them hours to look everywhere. Suddenly, HB appeared in front of them and both girls paused.

"Well met Miss Hardbroom" Ethel said trying to stay on her good side in case they were doing something she didn't like but both her and Sybil glanced at each other as they took in the expression on Hecate's face, one they had never seen before, it was a look of sadness and her hard glare was gone.

"I need you two to come with me, Esmerelda is with Miss Cackle" Hecate told them using a voice that sounded nothing like her own voice, it was much softer.

"Why?" Sybil asked her wondering why Esmie was with Miss Cackle.

This was the moment of truth. Hecate had to chose whether to tell them the truth or wait until they went to Miss Cackle's office and tell them but she didn't want the girls to freak out in front of Esmerelda, as cruel as it was they had to stop Esmerelda closing down and that started without panicking her.

"Your sister asked Mr Rowan-Webb not to rape her and we are concerned that she was attacked by someone because of this" Hecate told the sisters who both gawped at her in amazement.

"What?" Ethel asked just staring at Hecate in amazement.

Hecate transferred them to the office without another word and when they arrived at the office the two youngest sisters were still trying to take in what she had told them and were silent. Sybil looked over at her sister sitting on the comfy chair and rushed over to her.

* * *

"Esmie?" the young first year said as she took the seat next to her, Ethel just stood staring at her sisters.

"Miss Hardbroom told us something but I don't know exactly what it means" Sybil told her sister really not to sure what the word HB had used meant. Her and her sisters were never spoken to about sex, they only learned about it from other people in school and Sybil as a first year only knew the bare basics about it, such as it is how people have a baby. She wasn't even aware someone could be forced into sex though. She wasn't even entirely sure how it worked.

Ethel though did know exactly what sex was and what rape was, thanks to the fact she had read everything she had gotten her hands on. Some books she had read previously had spoken about sex, she hadn't even got the books on purpose she just happened to pick them up as they were a book and she wanted to try reading it. She had also overheard Esmerelda's year group talk about it before if she had been sitting with or near her sister, so unlike Sybil she knew exactly what was supposed to of happened to her sister and she could only look at her sisters in shock.

"Has something happened?" Sybil then asked Esmerelda and the older girl just shook her head as if to answer her question but Ethel could tell her sister was lying and that was when the heartbreaking reality came to her.

Ethel walked over to her sisters and sat on the other side of Esmerelda starting to talk.

"Who was it?" Ethel asked her sister quitely not even asking if it had actually happened, she knew that much was true.

"No-one" Esmerelda replied still denying it.

"The baby...that how is you got pregnant wasn't it?" Ethel asked her sister who became angry at that.

"I don't want to talk about the baby, no-one…...did anything" Esmerelda replied finding she could not even say the word.

"Then why can't you say the word? Who was it Esmie" Ethel asked her getting a bit more aggressive than she meant to.

"Ethel I..." Esmerelda replied.

"Tell me who raped you, tell me!" Ethel replied cutting her sister off. She was shouting at her sister now. The teachers were not exactly sure this was the right way to go about it but they would only step in if things got really out of hand.

"I...no...please don't make me tell..." Esmerelda replied finally admitting it was the truth even though she wouldn't say who. In that sentence everyone knew she had been raped...she could no longer deny that.

"Esmie tell us….why won't you say?" Ethel asked her finding herself shouting, knowing she had to get it out of Esmie even if she had to be harsh. This secret was buried deep inside Esmerelda, she had to make Esmie crack before she told them.

"No..." Esmie said

"TELL US" Ethel shouted knowing her sister hated to be shouted at and she would crack. She was upset as well and her anger was coming out.

"IT WAS DAD!…." Esmerelda shouted out not able to hold it in anymore, it slipped out before she could even do anything.


	19. Chapter 19 - The Reality

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

 **The Reality**

After Esmerelda's confession everyone fell quiet for a long while as they took in what she had actually just admitted, the only sounds that could be heard at this time was Esmerelda's cries.

"What?" Ethel said after a few moments thinking she must have surely misheard. Esmerelda cried more at her question, thinking she did not believe her.

"Dad….no….what….he…..dad…..how….what?" Ethel stuttered out not able to wrap her head around what her sister had just told her, she had to ask her to confirm it.

"You are saying dad…..raped you?" Ethel asked thinking this was a bad nightmare and she would wake up drenched in sweat from it in a few moments, Esmerelda only managed a nod and Ethel lost her composure and started to cry, she cried for a few moments before she brought her hand to her mouth.

"I think I'm going to be sick" Ethel said as she felt bile rise to her throat as the reality really hit her. Hecate quickly produced a bucket and the girl threw up violently and then started to cry again. Sybil though was not crying.

"I don't understand….what did dad do?" Sybil asked everyone in the room "I don't know what rape is" Sybil said and Esmerelda sobbed more at that because she knew her innocent little sister was about to be shattered by the harsh reality of it all, now both the older sisters were sobbing and Ada looked at Hecate.

"Watch them, I will try to explain to Sybil" Ada told her deputy as she transferred away with Sybil. Ethel moved over to hug Esmerelda in a comforting way not expecting the reaction she would have to that.

* * *

"NO DON'T TOUCH ME!" The girl shouted moving out of her sister's embrace.

"Sorry I am just trying to comfort you" Ethel told her and for once in their lives Ethel and Esmerelda completely switched personalities.

Ethel was being quiet and trying everything she could to make it better and for once in her life Esmerelda was angry, so so angry, she wanted to lash out at someone and hurt them like she was hurting and she understoodd in that moment why her sister did the same thing, she wanted someone else to feel the pain she was in and unfortunately her little sister was the only person there to receive it.

"Comfort me!?" Esmie asked her sister her voice full of bitterness at that and Ethel just looked at her amazed, she had never heard this tone in her sister's voice before.

"Yes….I know I can't make it better but…..." Ethel replied not even knowing what to say, what could she say after all?

"Oh well it's a bit late for that now isn't it!?" Esmerelda commented as the volume of her voice grew "This is all your fault!" Esmerelda told her sister harshly.

"My fault?" Ethel asked not understanding what she meant.

"Yes, you were the one who tricked me into giving up my powers and because I lost my magic this happened, none of this would have happened if it wasn't for you!" Esmerelda told Ethel for once in her life angry at Ethel and wanting her to feel pain.

Ethel, if possible, cried more at that. She knew deep down it was her fault, her parents had liked Esmie, well more than the others anyway, before all this, if Esmerelda still had magic it wouldn't of happened and if Ethel had not being there to trick Esmerelda there was no way she would of lost her magic.

"Just leave me alone!" Esmerelda told Ethel turning away from her. The younger blonde stood up in tears biting her lip and then walking out of the office as she cried, Esmerelda carried on crying already regretting blaming Ethel for this.

* * *

Ada was sat with Sybil in an unused classroom thinking about how to explain to her what had happened to Esmerelda.

"You know what sex is don't you?" Ada asked the youngest Hallow girl hoping she did, she really didn't want to have to talk to the girl about sex right now. Sybil nodded.

"Yes, it is how people have a baby, it is something couples do" Sybil replied telling her headteacher everything she knew and Ada relaxed a little, at least the girl knew that much.

"Well rape is when someone forces someone else to have sex against their will, that is what your father did" Ada told the young girl who looked at her but still seemed confused.

"But I thought only couples did it?" Sybil asked clearly not able to understand how her father could do it to her sister. In her head it wasn't even possible for people that were not even a couple to do it.

"It usually is but sometimes someone can force someone into it even if they are not in a relationship with them" Ada explained to the young girl.

"But how?" Sybil asked Ada and by the blank look that she gave her Ada realised that even though the girl knew what sex was in general she didn't know how it worked or came about exactly. Not knowing how to explain to the girl in detail the woman flicked her fingers and some books appeared that would explain it all in greater detail, she handed them to Sybil.

"Read these it will explain" Ada told the girl who sighed.

"I don't like to read" the girl said and if it was not such a sad and serious situation she would have laughed, how could Esmerelda and Ethel love reading so much and Sybil didn't even like it? They were so different.

"Can you make an exception?" Ada asked her and the girl nodded and started to read the books. Ada stepped outside leaving her alone to read the books but keeping an eye on her.

* * *

Esmerelda was alone with Hecate now that both her sisters had left and she cried for a while longer until she looked at her teacher but didn't meet her eyes.

"Can you go find Ethie….I didn't mean what I said" Esmerelda said as she had regretted blaming Ethel straight away and now she realised she needed her sisters to help her through this. Hecate clicked her fingers and Ethel appeared in tears and she started Esmerelda off again.

"Ethie...I didn't mean what I said..." Esmerelda told her sister not blaming her for this. She knew it was not Ethel's fault, the girl was not to know this would happen. Ethel cried more and shook her head.

"No you are right...I am an awful person and an awful sister, it is my fault...I made it so that mum and dad hated you" Ethel replied and Esmerelda hugged her sister then feeling she really needed to, for both of them.

"I was wrong...I wanted someone to blame….it is not your fault Ethie….it is mine for letting it happen" Esmerelda told Ethel who carried on sobbing.

"Esmerelda it is not your fault, there is only one person to blame for this and that is your father" Hecate told the girl not wanting her to blame herself for something like this, just then Sybil walked through the door sobbing.

"Esmie..." the girl said as she cried and went to hug her, clearly she had realised exactly what had happened to her sister. Esmerelda hugged both her sisters as all three girls cried and Ada went and stood by Hecate.

"I think Sybil finally understands" the woman said sadly with a sigh as she watched the three girls crying and hugging each other.

"What are we going to do headmistress?" Hecate asked her boss, wondering what they could do for the best.

"Well we are going to have to call the police of course, the girl can't go home, I am also going to contact the Great Wizard and let him know what has happened" Ada told Hecate who nodded in agreement. She only hoped there was no trouble because of their status on the council.

"Obviously we are going to have to take all three out of the house, I only want foster care as a last resort or they will probably be separated, I am going to contact their grandmother, I went to school with her, hopefully she can take them in" Ada told Hecate as they both looked at the girls sadly.

"Would you like me to watch the girls as you do all that?" Hecate asked the headmistress and the woman nodded.

"Yes thank you Hecate, I will also make the other teachers aware of what is going on as we are at it" Ada told the woman and a new worry came to Hecate then she just had to voice.

"Do you think he touched Ethel or Sybil?" Hecate whispered to Ada not wanting the girls to overhear. Ada hadn't thought of that but it was possible.

"Maybe, listen out for anything they say that could suggest he did" Ada told Hecate with a sigh as she left to go and sort things out.


	20. Chapter 20 - Mirroring

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* * *

Chapter Twenty

 **Mirroring**

Ada stepped into her bedroom and closed the door with a sigh allowing a few tears to fall now she did not have to be the one in charge. She hated when any of her pupils suffered and this was something the girl will always have in the back of her mind, her and her sisters. The woman took a breath to calm herself and then walked over to her mirror trying to decide whether to contact the police first or the Great Wizard.

Ada had worked many years as a headmistress but she had never met many pupils who had been raped. The ones she had met had had it happen to them by a stranger, she had never had to be involved with someone who had had it done repeatedly by their own father. She felt sick at the thought and decided she would contact the Great Wizard first for advice.

The wizard answered the call straight away and Ada sighed trying to decide how she should start this conversation.

"Well met your greatness" Ada said doing the custody greeting that the magical world did to each other.

"Well met Miss Cackle" the wizard replied politely.

"I am sorry to bother you your greatness but I needed to talk to you, a serious allegation against Triton Hallow has being made by his daughter ,Esmerelda, she allergies her father has being…." Ada paused then trying to decide if she should say the word or not "Raping her, and by her odd behaviour these last few months I believe every word of it" Ada explained to the man. His face went grave and his eyes widened.

"Jumping frogsprawn!" the man said quickly shocked by that as he looked at Ada.

"That was my reaction as well your greatness, the thing is I know that Triton and Ursulla Hallow are influential because of their status on the council so I hope this will be dealt with fairly" Ada said worried their status would make them untouchable.

"Don't you worry Miss Cackle, I will personally see to it that it is taken seriously, where are the three girls going to live?" the man asked her then.

"I am going to try and contact Josephine Hallow and see if she is able to take them in, if she cannot I will look into other relatives, foster care will be the last resort" Ada told the man who nodded in agreement.

"That sounds logical, I will personally contact the police myself, don't let any of the girls leave the school, if you have to try put Esmerelda in with one of her sisters for the time being, just make sure you keep her there, you must look after her until a more permanent solution becomes available" he explained to Ada who nodded with a small smile.

"Of course your greatness thank you for the help" Ada told him and he became serious again then.

"I will be in touch to let you know what is going on, try not to worry to much about Mr and Mrs Hallow right now just work on finding somewhere for the girls to stay" The great wizard replied.

"Of course thank you" Ada said. The man nodded once more and then ended the call and Ada let out a breath, glad he was taking this seriously.

The thing is witches knew how serious allegations like this were and if thy were found to be lying they could lose their magic and face imprisonment. Esmerelda was not stupid and had no reason to lie about this which is how Ada knew she was telling the truth, not to mention her odd behaviour and her random pregnancy.

* * *

Ada prepared herself now and then called Josephine Hallow. She only hoped the woman picked up as it must be very late, or early, she wasn't sure which. in Australia. The call rang out with no answer so Ada tried again only hoping the woman would pick up if she detected it was urgent.

After a while a woman appeared in the mirror. An older woman about the same age as Ada with grey hair styled nearly into a ponytail. With her blue eyes and her facial features she was still the spitting image of Ethel after all these years, just as she had been in her school days. The woman rubbed her eyes a few times until she realised who she was talking to.

"Ada Cackle...or is that Agatha Cackle?" the woman asked clearly confused about which twin had contacted her.

"Ada, definitely Ada" the woman said with a sigh not wanting to go into what happened to Agatha right now.

"Wow it must have being thirty years at least" Josephine told Ada and Ada nodded.

"Yes it must have being, I only wish we were catching up under better circumstances, I am afraid I am contacting you about your granddaughters" Ada told the woman sadly.

"My granddaughters, why what has happened?" the woman asked instantly panicking, clearly she was trying to figure out why their parents had not being contacted.

"How much do you know about what has happened the last year?" Ada asked wondering if she had to go through everything.

"Not much I am afraid, Esmie told me about losing her magic but she was vague about it, I don't get to talk to the girls as much as I want to so I don't know what else has happened" Josephine responded and Ada sighed and decided to disclose the whole story so she understood more.

* * *

"Poor Esmerelda, no wonder she was so vague about it" Josephine replied when she had been told the story Ada sighed but knew this next bit was important.

"I am afraid that is not the worse of it, Josephine, Esmerelda told us her father has being….raping her, and by the sounds of it it has been going on for months" Ada told the woman who gasped and covered her mouth.

"What?" "No….there must be some mistake…..this can't be true" Josephine replied unable to get her head around what she had just being told.

"I am afraid it is Josephine, we have being trying to figure out the reason for Esmerelda's strange behaviour for months but it was only today everything came out, I think she has put of telling anyone because of her father's status and not wanting to break the family up" Ada told Josephine needing her to understand this was very much real and her granddaughter needed her to believe her and be there for her.

"No….not Esmie….Ethel….Sybil…...did he!?" she asked Ada and Ada sighed wishing she could give the woman a better answer.

"I can not say yes or no to that, neither Ethel or Sybil have said he has being abusing them but of course it could be because they don't want Esmerelda to be upset about it or to make the situation worse, the police will talk to them I am sure and will determine that for themselves" Ada replied to Josephine who started to cry.

"This is my fault, I left the girls with them when I knew they couldn't parent" the woman said openly crying.

"Well yes but there is bad parenting and evil acts, no one suspected this" Ada replied not wanting the woman to blame herself. The woman continuted to cry clearly really upset about this.

"I know this is difficult Josephine but I need you to be strong right now, because of what has happened we of course have had to remove the girls from home, would you be able to take them in?" Ada asked. Josephine sighed before replying.

"I would love to take them in, I will be in England by tomorrow and we can discuss how things will work best, can my girls stay there until then?" Josephine asked still teary and Ada nodded with a small sympathetic smile.

"Of course we will keep them safe, have a safe trip" Ada told the woman who nodded before ending the call still with a teary face. Ada was about to get up when the Great Wizard called her.

* * *

"The Hallows have been arrested and taken away for questioning, some officers are coming to talk to the girls and should be there within half an hour" the wizard told Ada who was slightly taken a back.

"That was quick!" Ada said thinking she would have had to wait hours to find anything out.

"I told you I was going to make sure things moved along" the wizard replied and Ada nodded, giving her thanks.

"Thank you" Ada told him nodding her thanks.

"I shall be over tomorrow to make sure things are progressiving" the great wizard told her and Ada smiled.

"That would be wonderful, have a pleasant evening your greatness" Ada told the man.

He nodded and ended the call just as there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in" Ada said politely and Dimity Drill walked in with a small smile.

"The police are here Ada" the woman told her and Ada jumped up at that, needing to prepare the sisters for their interviews. She walked towards the door, thanked Miss Drill and then transferred herself to her office.


	21. Chapter 21 - Questioning

A/N: One hour!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

 **Questioning**

Ada walked into her office and saw the three sisters sitting together. They had stopped crying now but were sitting close to each other and hugging. The woman walked up to them and sighed before speaking.

"The police are here, they are going to want to take a statement from you Esmerelda" Ada told the girl not wanting it to be a shock when it came to it. The girl opened her mouth, maybe to protest, but she never got a chance to as just then two female officers walked in and Ada was thankful the wizard had thought ahead and told them not to send a male officer.

"Hello there, I am Officer Wolfsbane and this is my partner Officer Blackstone" one of the woman said. She was fairly young, probably only around her mid twenties and the other woman was around the same age, Ada smiled and greeted them before walking to the girls.

"Which one of you is Esmerelda?" Office Blackstone asked and Esmie replied 'me' in a quiet voice. The woman nodded sympathetically.

"Why don't we let your sisters go with Officer Wolfsbane and you and I can talk?" the woman suggested. Ada smiled, she was very easy going which would put Esmerelda at ease.

"No….I don't want them to go" Esmie now complained her eyes wide in fear.

"I think it is for the best isn't it Esmerelda? "You don't want your sisters to hear this do you?" Ada told her knowing Ethel and Sybil were traumatised enough without having to hear in detail what had happened to their sister. Esmie sighed and then nodded and Ethel and Sybil reluctantly left with Officer Wolfsbane.

"I will go with them" Hecate told Ada knowing the girls might be on edge with someone they don't know. Ada stayed with Esmerelda hoping the fact she knows her would stop her freaking out to much.

* * *

Officer Blackstone took a seat opposite Esmerelda and began to talk, by the look on her face she was not enjoying this at all and Ada realised how tough she must be in order to do her job.

"Right as I said I am officer Blackstone, I just want to talk to you about what happened with your father" the woman said professionally. Esmie visually flinched when she mentioned her father but the woman smiled trying to reassure her.

"Alright so prior to what occurred how was your father and yours relationship?" the woman asked the blonde starting easy, wanting her to grow comfortable with her first.

"Well….it was alright, we didn't have a strong bond, my parents tended to leave us to whatever we wanted" Esmerelda replied with a shrug and the woman nodded writing that down.

"What are you writing?" Esmerelda asked then clearly worried what she was doing.

"It is just so I can store your statement and we can look over it" the officer replied before she asked something else.

"So what was it that led up to the first assault?" Officer Blackstone then asked her.

"I lost my magic at the end of last year….long story….anyway my parents were really angry about that, it brought a lot of shame on to our family" Esmerelda replied and the woman nodded as she wrote.

"So that was the trigger for what happened?" the officer asked and Esmie nodded.

"Yes" Esmie replied playing with her hands.

"Okay so I know this is going to be difficult but can you tell me exactly what happened, I know this happened more than once but can you tell me about the first incident?" she asked Esmerelda who gulped and started slowly.

"Well….I was in my bedroom reading…..my parents were at work" Esmie started of slowly. "Then my parents came into my room and I thought it was a little odd..." Esmerelda admitted, remembering at the time she had wondered why they were there.

"Why did you find that odd?" the officer asked her her eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"Well my parents don't really enter mine or my sisters rooms, if they need to talk to us they call us down" Esmerelda replied as the woman wrote, the sound of her pen scratching the paper frantically could be heard.

"Okay so what happened then?" The officer asked Esmerelda looking at her.

"My father started to talk to me...he was just saying how I was stupid for giving my magic away and then he said I needed to be punished..." Esmerelda went on pausing at the last word.

"Alright and then what happened?" the woman asked her.

"Well then he…...used….." Esmerelda stopped clearly getting to this part of the story was getting to much for her.

"I know this is hard Esmerelda but I need you to tell me" the officer told her.

"He….us….used a….a…. s...spell….it,...it…..it….pa…..pa….paralysed….m...me….I …..I couldn't….move" Esmerelda explained stuttering through the sentence.

"Then….h….he did….another…...t….that ….ma...made….my ….clothes….vanish" Esmerelda got out stuttering like she was just learning English. "And then …...he did it..." Esmerelda finished looking at the floor.

"I need a little more detail than that" the woman told her sympathetically.

"What more do you need? Are you stupid, do you not know how sex works?" Esmerelda rudely replied, annoyed at the stupidity of this.

"Of course I do but I need to know exactly what happened so I can help you" the officer replied not saying anything, she was used to people being rude.

"He got on top of me and….forced himself on me" Esmerelda replied still unable to say the word rape. She started to cry at this point and the officer knew pushing her would not help, she had the basic idea what had happened, she needed to let the girl heal a little before she asked her for anything more.

* * *

"Alright thank you, why don't we change our topics for a bit and tell me about the pregnancy, was he the father?" the woman asked bluntly and Esmerelda slowly nodded after a few seconds but kept her head down crying.

"And how did he react when he found out about it?" the officer now asked.

"He was angry...both my parents were" Esmerelda told the woman.

"Why were they so mad when they knew how it had happened?" the woman asked Esmerelda not understanding that.

"Because…..I refused an abortion…." Esmerelda replied crying much more now she was talking about this. Ada had not known that part of the story, so her parents had known before she was hospitalised. She had kept that part hidden.

"You were planning on keeping the child?" the officer asked the woman and Esmerelda shrugged again, her answers getting much more vague.

"But they refused to let you?" the officer asked for emphasis. "I know this is difficult but can you tell me about the days leading up to your miscarriage, do you think anything they did could have made what happened more likely?" the woman asked her expecting the girl to be upset at this question.

"I don't want to talk about it" Esmerelda told the woman still grieving over the baby and not wanting to talk about it when it was fresh.

"I know it is difficult but this can help your case, were your parents aware of the pain you were in?" the officer now asked trying to change the question slightly to see if she could get a better answer but Esmie was clearly done.

"Please ….don't..." Esmerelda said standing up in tears.

"Esmerelda sit down...you can take all the time you need I just need you to answer my questions" the woman said but Esmerelda shook her head as she burst into tears and left the room. Ada jumped up to follow her.

"Sorry" the officer said with a sigh and Ada shook her head.

"It isn't your fault, this is going to be really difficult" Ada told the woman who nodded in response sadly knowing Ada was right. "Do you think we can leave it for now?" Ada asked thinking the girl had had more than enough.

"Yes, it will probably be best" the woman agreed as Ada rushed out the room to go and find the young blonde.


	22. Chapter 22 - Josephine Hallow

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* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

 **Josephine Hallow**

Things moved fast after Esmerelda's interview, Ethel and Sybil were not at any risk, no-one believed anything had happened to them especially after Esmerelda told everyone about the magical oath.

"I told him to make it and he did, he is not allowed near Ethel or Sybil" Esmerelda told the group who gasped and Ada had to give Esmerelda credit, she had no idea how the girl was still there and had not tried to end it all after all she had been through in the last few months, and it still wasn't over, she had to deal with the fact her parents had a trial coming up and have a medical examination, luckily it was reasonable quick and nothing much was wrong with her, she had no sexually transmitted diseases or anything, just ripping and tearing which would heal.

As Esmerelda has no-where to go the girl was staying at Cackles, as half the school had collapsed at the beginning of the year and as Sybil was already sharing her room with Beatrice and Clarice, Esmerelda was put in with Ethel. Ada knew the girls were close but she knew for a fact they had never shared a room before, so she hoped they got on okay in that aspect.

"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Esmerelda asked Ethel as she entered the room after a flying lesson the next day and flopped down on the bed next to her. Ethel shrugged.

"I don't know….I only hope if we are fostered they keep us together….but siblings are normally split up" Ethel said not holding out much hope for that, especially as all three of the girls will need a lot of care after what happened.

"Do you think I did the right thing? Saying it was …..him?" Esmerelda said as she had stopped calling him dad since she had revealed everything.

"Yes, it isn't your fault Esmie and it can't of gone on forever, he needs to be punished for what he did" Ethel told Esmerelda before she remembered something and jumped up walking to the desk on the other side of the room before walking back to the older blonde.

"I made you some more sleeping potion" Ethel told her sister handing her over the vial with green liquid in, Esmerelda was struggling with sleeping, especially with the nightmares she had so Ethel had being making her the potion, as she wasn't a witch anymore she wasn't even sure it worked but it did seem to help. Esmerelda took the potion with a small smile.

"Thanks Ethie… you are a good sister" Esmerelda told Ethel, still feeling guilty after what she had said to her sister when she was upset the other day.

"Maybe I am not to bad after all….but you are still the best" Ethel told her with a small smile back to her. Esmerelda hugged her gently, not like physical contact as much anymore so Ethel knew this was a big step.

* * *

It was two in the morning but someone was knocking on the castle door and in the dead of the night the noise woke Ada and Hecate, both of them walked to the door preparing themselves in case they had to defend themselves, unlocking the door Ada opened it and found an old woman stood there and Ada let out a sigh of relief, it was only Josephine Hallow.

"Well met, Sorry I know it is late, I am trying to get used to the time difference and I just couldn't wait, I was going crazy with my thoughts" Josephine told the two woman as she noticed HB was looking like she was thinking what curse to use on her.

"It is okay, come in" Ada told her. The woman came in and smiled slightly, she really did look like Ethel so there was no need for Hecate to ask who she was.

"Why don't we go to my office?" Ada said and led her to the room, offering her tea and biscuits before sitting down.

"Trip okay?" Ada asked the woman making small talk.

"Yes, but I just couldn't….what happened to Esmerelda…." the woman said shaking her head.

"I know it is awful, she is tough though, all the things she has being through recently with losing her powers and the pregnancy" Ada said. Josephine nearly chocked on her tea at the last statement.

"Pregnancy?" she asked Ada having no idea about that.

Ada sighed then and spent the next few hours telling her old friend everything. About Esmerelda losing her powers to Agatha and having to leave the school as she could no longer study magic, about the abuse by her father: Ada told her everything she knew about that, about the pregnancy and the miscarriage the girl had suffered and how everything had come out thanks to the only male teacher on the staff. By the time she had finshed it was four in the morning and Josephine wiped tears from her eyes again,

"My poor girl, she has suffered for so long by herself" the woman commented clearly upset about the whole thing.

"It is tragic yes, but she is a tough one, I think she will be alright with her sisters and yours support, it will take her a long time to heal but I am positive she will get there" Ada told the woman with a sympathetic smile.

"How do I go about taking the girls in?" Josephine asked now clearly not knowing what steps she had to take.

"I will have to contact social services and ask them what needs to be done, I am sure you will be approved though" Ada told Josephine touching her hand in a comforting way.

"Where is Esmerelda now?" Josephine asked clearly worried about that.

"I put her in with Ethel for the time being as Sybil has room-mates already, I thought it was the best option for now I didn't think it was wise to leave her by herself" Ada commented and Josephine nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, how is she sleeping?" Josephine asked knowing the answer was probably badly.

"Fairly well everything considering, Hecate is on night watch tonight, she is keeping an eye on her as she does have nightmares at times, we can go check on her now if you want" Ada suggested and Josephine nodded and stood up to follow her.

Ada transferred them outside the girls door and opened it. Ethel was in the bed on the left sound asleep and Esmerelda was on the right also sound asleep, it was early so Ada left them, they didn't need to be woken now.

"Everything seems fine right now, maybe we should try get some shut eye for a while?" Ada suggested and Josephine agreed wanting to be well awake for when she saw her girls.

* * *

The next morning Ada told Hecate to take the girls from breakfast. She had not told them about their grandmother coming as she didn't know how long it would take and wanted to make sure the woman arrived safely first, when the three girls and Hecate appeared in the office, Josephine stood up and looked at them.

"Gran?" Ethel asked her the woman nodded and Ethel and Sybil ran to her. Esmerelda did not though.

Josephine was not insulted, far from it. Her granddaughter was mentally destroyed and even if she was her grandmother, she had not seen her face to face in over three years and it will be hard for the girl to show physical affection right now. Josephine hugged the younger two then walked over to Esmerelda.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you today?" the woman asked her and Esmerelda shrugged in response and all Josephine could do was smile at her.

"I am going to try take you all in so I can look after you" she told the girls.

"I don't want to go to Australia" Sybil commented and Josephine smiled at the youngest.

"You won't have to I will move back to England" she told her granddaughters as she glanced at Esmerelda seeing she was nervously playing with her hands.

"Are you hungry? I brought some of the food you like over" she told the group and the two youngest ran over to her bag excitedly, glad they were getting treats and not horrible school food. Esmie followed them but kept her head down and Josephine sighed, she was worst than she thought she would be, and she knew this was going to be difficult.

"Don't take it personally" Ada told Josephine seeing the look on her face at Esmerelda's rejection as the girl spoke to her sisters quietly.

"I'm not, I barely know the girl anymore" Josephine said feeling awful them for leaving the girls for so long. Esmie was a child the last time she saw her, the year before she started at Cackles, but now she was a teenager, she was a completely different person and Josephine realised she knew nothing about her now, she knew the past Esmerelda, the child Esmerelda, not this grown up one.

"I know, it will take time" she told Ada but she was determined to make it work. She could not let the girls down again, she was prepared to do anything to get them in her care, no matter how long it took. She knew it would take time, she was practically a stranger right now but that was going to change.


	23. Chapter 23 - A Happy Ending

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this story but this is the end :). Expect a new story soon.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three

 **A Happy Ending**

A month had gone by and Esmerelda was sat in her bedroom looking out the window as it snowed, Christmas was coming early this year it seemed as it was only November. She heard some footsteps behind her and turned, flinching slightly and letting out a relaxed breath when she saw it was only Sybil.

"First snow of the year!, Are you coming out?" Sybil asked her sister hope in her blue eyes.

Esmerelda sighed, wanting to just stay in her bedroom and try to block everything out like she had been doing for the last few months but she knew she had to move on from what happened, she had to try to live again, and Sybil was looking at her so happy she couldn't let her down.

"Alright, maybe for half an hour" Esmerelda told Sybil unable to stop herself smiling slightly as Sybil's face lit up as she was told Esmerelda was not going to lock herself in her room like she had been doing.

Dressed in big warm coats, hats, scarves, gloves and warm boots all three sisters walked out their front door into there winter wonderland outside, the snow was quite deep and it was still snowing, it looked like it was going to be a white Christmas.

Esmerelda was just about to pick up some snow wanting to feel it when she felt something hit her back. She turned around and saw Ethel stood there with the most guilty look on her face as she had just pelted her with a snowball. Ethel's face dropped slightly by the look Esmie gave her, thinking maybe it was to soon to mess with her, maybe she couldn't see the funny side this early on. Esmerelda kneeled in the snow and made a snowball and threw it at Ethel, it hit the girl on her shoulder and sent her out of her trance.

"Hey!" Ethel complained "That isn't fair, I had no warning" Ethel told her pouting.

"Neither did I!" Esmerelda replied. Suddenly both of them were pelted by a snowball and turning they saw Sybil giggling away.

"Oh it is on!" Esmerelda said as she gathered up more snow to create a ball out of. The three girls proceeded to have a snowball fight. Esmerelda allowing herself to smile a little bit. She had missed messing around with her sisters and this was something they did not need magic for. Something they could do together without having to figure out a way to get Esmerelda to join in.

After they had their snowball fight Ethel suggested they build a snowman and then changed her mind and said a snow woman, obviously the snow creature was not real but Esmerelda still hated men right now and anyway why did it have to be man?

"Alright but no magic, we are only allowed to use our hands" Sybil commented and Ethel agreed as the three of them started to gather up snow.

They rolled up the snow and shaped it into that of a head and body before they proceeded with their decorating. They used coins for the eyes, a carrot for the nose and small pebbles for the mouth, two twigs for arms and then a hat and a scarf. It took hours but they were happy with their result and stood back to admire their work, all three proud they had made something without any magic whatsoever.

"We did good" Ethel said proudly admiring their work as the older and younger blonde nodded in agreement.

* * *

After that they went back into the house, frozen from the cold and needing to warm up. They got out of their wet clothes and went and sat down to their warm mug of hot chocolate.

"Good time?" Josephine asked them and the three girls nodded as Sybil told them about the snow woman.

The woman had finally got custody a few days ago so the girls were in their new home still settling in, the trial was approaching in the new year though so Esmerelda was more on edge than ever but she was slowly getting there, she was starting counselling the following week and Josephine was beginning to understand her better, even if she still wasn't really talking to her.

"Sounds lovely girls I am glad you had fun" the woman said in response.

"I hope it snows at Christmas too, it makes everything seem more magic….erm exciting" Ethel said changing the word magical mid sentence.

"Oh yes white Christmases are beautiful, we never got snow in Australia, I have to say I did miss it" Josephine said in a daydream way.

"It will snow at Christmas this year I just know it!" Ethel said with a smile.

Days turned into weeks and Christmas came and went and Ethel was right, it was a white Christmas. Esmerelda was making an effort to be happy on Christmas Day but Josephine was worried, the girl was still not bonding with her and she only hoped the upcoming trial would settle her.

Esmerelda had to give evidence at the trial because her parents were denying the charges against them and the girl was sick for weeks on the lead up to the day, sick with fear and nerves. Josephine only hoped the girl could keep it together.

* * *

On the day when Esmerelda was called she looked out at her parents, looking them in the eye. She had being told she could evidence through video but she had said no, she wanted to look at them and see their faces when they realised they had lost.

Esmerelda was terrified but remained calm and tried to answer as best as she could, she held in her tears until she left the room proud of herself for getting through her testimony so well.

Ethel and Sybil had returned to school the week prior and now that they were gone the distance between Josephine and Esmerelda was much more apparent. The girl ignored her most of the time and spent most of her time in her room. Josephine was glad in a way the girl was acting like a teenager but she was worried about how much the girl had drifted from her but her counsellor had warned Josephine against pushing her to much, it was about rebuilding trust and Esmerelda did not trust her right now as she felt she had abandoned her and left her in an abusive home.

The verdict for Mr and Mrs Hallow would take a few weeks to come through, the trial was still going on to look into some other things, such as blackmail, other people had come forward with.

* * *

The woman was giving the girl space like she had been told to when she got a mirror call from the Great Wizard, she answered it with a feeling of dread as to what he was going to say, he must have the verdict to be calling her so late at night.

"Esmerelda!" the woman shouted walking in her room without knocking. The teen opened her mouth to probably ask if she had ever heard of knocking when Josephine cut her off.

"They were found guilty! The great wizard just told me" the woman told Esmerelda who smiled slightly.

"And as they are going to be imprisoned they are going to have their powers taken from them, the great wizard agreed to a transfer though so you can have magic again" Josephine told Esmerelda and the woman looked at her concerned. She wasn't jumping with joy like she had expected her to be she just smiled a little.

"Esmerelda...this is a good thing" Josephine told her trying to get some degree of happiness out of her, wanting to see her happy that she will not only have her powers back but she was believed and her parents were not able to hurt her anymore.

Josephine sighed and sat down next to the girl trying to instil some reaction out of her. "Are you okay?" Josephine asked her. Esmerelda just kept looking at her but made no other reaction. "How are you feeling?" Josephine asked her willing the girl to talk to her. Esmerelda suddenly had tears streaming down her face at that last question.

"Darling, don't be upset, this is a great thing" Josephine said worried. Had the girl not understood something? Did she think she would have to return home or they would not be imprisoned?. Josephine was just about to ask if she wanted to go through anything when Esmerelda suddenly threw her arms around her neck hugging her, it was the first hug they had shared since the eldest had moved in and the girl laid her head on her shoulder hugging her more.

"I am okay….just a little bewildered...I am happy" Esmerelda told the woman crying on her shoulder gently and Josephine wrapped her arm around her granddaughter beaming at her.

She knew this was far from over, it could take months if not years for Esmerelda to truly be happy again but this was a huge step forward and Josephine knew from that moment on her and her granddaughters would be able to get through anything as long as they stuck together.


End file.
